Daydreaming of owning an electric car may temporarily soothe the ache in your wallet when you’re filling up at the pump, but the nation’s dependence on gas continues, and it’s hurting more than your bank account. Fossil-fuel emissions contribute to environmental decay, and the U.S. government’s energy department has an entire branch dedicated to researching and regulating such emissions. It’s led by Charles McConnell (E’77), a COO at the U.S. Department of Energy, following a nomination this past summer by President Barack Obama.
—Shannon Deep (CMU’10, HNZ’11)
