S. David Freeman

Mr. Freeman was the first person with an energy responsibility in the federal government, appointed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967. Mr. Freeman was the Director of the Ford Foundation Energy Policy Project, which published "A Time To Choose" in 1974, documenting the major role energy efficiency could play in the future.

Mr. Freeman has a 30-year record as board member and manager of many of America's largest publicly owned businesses. President Jimmy Carter appointed him as chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1977, where he cut sulfur oxide emissions in half, stopped construction of eight large nuclear power plants and pioneered a massive energy conservation program. Mr. Freeman then served as general manager of large public power agencies for the next two decades, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power from 1997 to 2001. Under his leadership, the DWP kept the rates level and lights on during California's power crisis.

As president of the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, Mr. Freeman and his fellow commissioners partnered with the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners and took unprecedented action by approving the landmark San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan at the first-ever joint public meeting of the two boards on November 20, 2006. The Clean Air Action Plan provides a comprehensive strategy for reducing air emissions from port operations by nearly 50 percent over a period of five years.

Mr. Freeman has won awards from the Los Angeles Coalition for Clean Air, National Wildlife Association, Global Green and many other organizations for his devotion to clean air, clean water, and renewable energy. He negotiated the settlement of the decades-long dispute over the dust pollution from the Owens (Dry) Lake, resulting in the restoration effort that has created a bird sanctuary and cleaner air for that pristine area.

Mr. Freeman holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech, and an L.L.B. from the University of Tennessee. Mr. Freeman served as a U.S. Merchant Marine in World War II, transporting gasoline across the North Atlantic. He authored Energy: the New Era in 1974, and Winning Our Energy Independence: An Energy Insider Shows How in 2007.

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