Energy is the key to our future, yet we have never had a comprehensive energy policy. Instead of looking ahead and planning, we instead rely upon “crises management.” Never taking pre-emptive actions to avoid crises, we wait until we are actually in crises, then react; a fool”s game. Wouldn”t it be great if we could prioritize the issues and deal with them each from a rational standpoint instead of during a panic?
Our most urgent need is to end our use of imported oil, clearly a threat to our national security. Despite having been slapped with the cold reality of OPEC in 1973, we have seen our dependency upon foreign oil increase from 30 percent to 60 percent. We”ve made those who hate us most rich beyond imagination. We”ve gone from being the world”s biggest creditor to being the world”s biggest debtor.
Global warming may be due as much to the Earth”s normal cycles as to our output of CO2. Fact is there have been several ice ages and alternating warming periods in the recent past. It”s simplistic to think that the climate is changing simply due to our use of fossil fuels. We see the Earth today as it is only at this moment; the planet continues to evolve. Mountains are rising, others being eroded and shrinking, tectonic plates moving, temperatures rising or falling all the time. Global warming should be second in priority simply because it is less of an urgent threat to us and we have less impact upon it. Want to erase your carbon footprint? Plant five trees each year, preferably drought and heat resistant Eucalyptus that will thrive in the coming climate.
Simplistic thinking like “drill, baby, drill!” is nonsense. We consume about 25 percent of the world”s oil and have only about 3 percent of the oil reserves. That”s a great campaign slogan in a world where pretty, vapid, empty vessels serve as candidates, but reality is simple; that is no solution at all. What we have plenty of is coal (a 300-year supply) and natural gas (a 100-year supply), each of which has serious drawbacks. We also have plenty of sunshine (about 1/3 of our country is desert), geothermal, wind and tidal energy potential.
Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel. Even though we”ve made strides towards burning it more cleanly, it is still filthy. It also generates about 53 percent of all the electricity in America today. Natural gas is much cleaner, but produces significant amounts of CO2, the focal point of the global warming issue. All of the green energies listed above have high initial costs to build and will take time to develop but the fuel is virtually free so the cost comes way down over time.
Since ending importation of oil is our first priority, we need to end subsidies to oil companies so that money can instead be allocated for domestic “green” energies and to pass a law banning importation of oil after 2020. We”ll gift big oil up to $35 billion this year, but our nation would be far better off if this was put toward our long-term benefit instead of simply subsidizing the profits of a mature industry.
Converting from oil to natural gas for vehicle fuels would be quick, easy, much cheaper, cleaner and cut our trade deficit immediately. It can also replace much of the coal used for electricity. This would be a great stop-gap measure for the next 20 years or so until green energy matures to take its place and reduce our CO2 output. Wind, sunlight and waves can”t be gamed in the futures pits either, creating stability instead of chaos and a million U.S. jobs. Conservation is the elephant in the room. By reducing our needs we increase national security as well. We lose 50 percent of all our electricity due to an ancient power grid that needed upgrading 30 years ago. Is it too late for a little common sense?
Lowell Grant is a regular columnist for the Record-Bee.
