March 11th, 2011
30-30-30 by 2030 Plan
(Reprinted from National Journal’s Energy & Environment Experts Blog on March 9, 2011 on the topic of how to power America in three decades.)
In my recently published book, Lights Out: Ten Myths About and Real Solutions To Our Energy Crisis, I outlined a strategy for America’s power sector that could help us address our energy security and environmental challenges. I believe that with a focused effort and an aggressive federal commitment to devising constructive energy policy, we could dramatically revamp the composition of our power markets between now and 2030.
I call my plan the 30-30-30 by 2030 strategy. It calls for us to produce 30 percent of our power from nuclear and 30 percent from natural gas and clean coal by the target date. It also calls for us to generate another 30 percent from a combination of renewable energy and reductions in demand as a result of energy efficiency improvements during this timeframe.
Read More ›
March 11th, 2011
Global Politics Likely Will Trigger Congressional Action on Energy
Despite predictions late last year that energy policy would be a back-burner issue for the 112th Congress, the perfect storm of global politics, Middle East unrest and growing U.S. demand may force lawmakers to move energy legislation this year, albeit more targeted than 2010’s sweeping carbon trading or renewable energy standards measures.
At a Washington energy forum sponsored by The Abraham Group and Bloomberg Government, energy industry officials predicted that GOP leaders would have little choice but to act if gas prices climbed above $4 and $5 a gallon during this summer’s peak driving season.
U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, the Michigan Republican who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told the forum that “with the unrest in the Middle East, we are seeing increasing prices, which are really threatening our economy in the months and years ahead.”
Congress needs to take action to avert a crisis. “I think the emphasis will be on supply—what can we do to increase the supply to have a downward pressure on prices,” Upton noted. The pressure would likely take the form of legislation to encourage the extraction of additional oil resources in the United States, both in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska.
Read More ›
March 11th, 2011
In Washington, a Renewed Interest in Diversifying Energy Sources
Diversification remains the nation’s best hope for guaranteeing a reliable and plentiful supply of energy far into the future—and the time may have finally arrived where the economics, politics and technology have aligned to compel Washington to forcefully champion a diversified energy strategy.
U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, chairman of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, told a Washington energy forum—sponsored by The Abraham Group and Bloomberg Government—that Congress needs to actively seek a more varied energy mix to meet the increasing need for electricity—both for economic growth and to service the growing number of electric and hybrid vehicles.
Electric vehicles are “where we need to go, but, of course, you have to have the energy on the other side of that cord to propel the vehicle,” said Upton, R-Mich. “That’s one of the reasons why we have to increase domestic production of electricity by 30 to 40 percent by the end of the next decade, not only because our economy is going to improve but also because we have these new vehicles that are going to tap into it.”
Read More ›
