The Energy (Leadership) Crisis

Nothing makes an American more whiney and annoying than raising the price of their gasoline or electric bill.  So gas costs three bucks a gallon.  Big deal.  Europeans have been paying way more than that for years.  If our cars weren't so big and inefficient, it wouldn't matter so much. We can all use some energy efficiency tips.

The 2001 "California energy crisis" cost state taxpayers the entire budget surplus built up during the late '90s boom years. We all learned much later that the energy crisis was not real, it was finagled by energy traders to boost their profits (We recommend serious jail time for energy company executives, especially Bush pal and disgraced Enron CEO Kenny-Boy Lay  as an antidote to future occurrence of these events).  Nonetheless, it's time we take control of our energy future and stop putting ourselves in a position to be repeatedly fleeced by energy barons of all stripes.

Who's to blame?

• Blame gullible and corrupt politicians if you want; their lack of leadership got us into the current mess.
• Blame greedy power and oil companies while you're at it.  If you were in their shoes, would you do any different? 
• Blame NIMBY homeowners... as long as you don't mind a power plant in your back yard.
• By all means, blame the media; they created a panic-driven atmosphere which forced politicians to enter into long-term contractual agreements on behalf of taxpayers at the moment when the public had the least bargaining power.

There's enough blame to go around.  Yet somehow, the scapegoat artists always seem to miss THE key culprit.

That culprit is us.  The American society is the most wasteful ever spawned on Earth.  We burn precious fuels without a thought to actual need or consequence. Examples:

• We're heating and cooling 2-5,000 square foot homes now; 1,000 square feet was plenty for the previous generation.
• We're driving cars that get 12-20 miles per gallon now; the technology for 40-50 miles per gallon is readily available.
• We have more energy-sucking electronic gadgets than we could possible want or need.

Until we change our fuelish ways, energy prices will and should stay high.  In fact, soaring energy prices are our only chance to end dependence on polluting fossil fuels.  Future generations will not have this luxury, as much of the available petro-fuels will be gone long before they hit the scene.

Add your comments about the energy leadership crisis or read others from the Sustainable Enterprises community.

What to do?

Let the lights go out.  Some of my best childhood memories involve blackouts.  So you miss the NBA playoffs or your favorite television show.  Too bad.  Keep the power on in the places where its critical (hospitals, data centers, some factories), everyone else can eat a salad, read a book by candlelight or—God forbid—talk to each other!

Increase energy taxes.  That's right, increase. The only way Americans will cut their energy use is when it costs more.  Use the money to invest in clean, renewable energy and transportation.   

Dramatically increase spending on renewable/clean energy alternatives.  The Bush Administration's "energy policy" cut spending on clean renewable energy and on energy efficiency research.  After years of research and dramatic increases in efficiency, renewable energy industries are poised to give fossil fuels real competition.  Pulling out the rug now, while increasing tax breaks to polluting coal and oil producers, will set the movement back years.   But... that's exactly what the Bushies want.   The energy (leadership) crisis helps the New Bush Oil  Co. & Presidential Administration to fatten the bulging wallets of his old family friends in the oil and gas industry, who helped fund the most expensive presidential campaign in history. 

To break our costly dependence on oil, coal and gas, we need to finish developing and start deploying solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, waste-to-energy, landfill gas and other clean technologies on a grand scale.  Doing this will create many more jobs than drilling up the Arctic coast ever would.

The billions squandered by California over the last year to keep its lights on and utilities solvent could have bought a lot of solar cells.  The Western United States is one of the sunniest places in the world; there's no reason we can't generate much more power from the sun.

Read all about the California energy (leadership) crisis from the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.

Read our unconventional energy savings tips, or add a few of your own.