Lisa Woolhouse
Background
Dr Lisa Woolhouse studied economics at London School of Economics and went onto to complete a Masters and PhD in energy economics at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne [1]. She is an "independent consultant" to the energy industry and co-author with Ian Fells of the book "Global Warming: A Guide to Market-based Controls on the Energy Sector," published in 1996.
According to a brief biography on the NIA's website, she has "...worked for an engineering consultant, an electricity generator, an oil major and the energy regulator" [2]. The regulator in question appears to be gas regulator OFGEM: a November 2000 letter available on its website gives a Lisa Woolhouse as a contact [3].
Why Did BNFL Invite the "independent" consultant to Media Training?
Woolhouse is often quoted by the pro-nuclear lobby, for example SONE [4] and Westinghouse; BNFL and the the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Nuclear Energy [5] [6]
She was one of the speakers at the Nuclear Industry Association's Energy Choices Conference in 2003, along with the key-note speaker, Stephen Timms, Minister of State for Energy. Woolhouse's view is that "longer term CO2 goals cannot be met without nuclear;" a view the industry obviously wants people to hear. [7]
But just how "independent" is she? Woolhouse was one of the recipients of an email from Belinda Yates, from BNFL's corporate affairs along with, amongst others, Professor Phil Thomas from City Univerty, Simon James, Miranda Kirschel, and Ruth Stanway and Keith Parker from the Nuclear Industry Association, and Philip Dewhurst, Sue Ion, Richard Mayson, and Adrian Bull from BNFL, entitled: "Media Training Workshop 2"
The email, dated 2 June 05 stated:
- "Dear All
- You have been nominated to attend an upcoming one day media training session with Weber Shandwick ... This media training will following [sic] on from the last training session held in March this year. However there will only be the 10 of you participating in this workshop and therefore it will be a more 'hands on', intensive day with each of you partaking in television and radio interviews." [8]
Whilst the documents do not show whether Woolhouse attended the media training, they raise certain questions in light of Philip Dewhurst's admission to PR Week of using "third parties" to get their message across.
References
- ^ A brief biography of Woolhouse on the NIA's website
- ^OFGEM letter which gives Woolhouse as a contact, November 2000.
- ^ Belinda Yates, (2005) Re: Media Training Workshop 2 June 2, 2005.
