Reality in the Eye of the Beholder?

Through out the next couple of weeks I hope to respond to articles regarding Energy. This is the first attempt. I hope it gets better.

At first I was really excited to read an article entitled "Political Spins Blurring Energy Reality." It was the top hit in my Google news feed and I couldn't wait to read how statistics are being skewed to paint whatever energy "reality" seems appropriate. This article ran in the Houston Chronicle on July 6, 2008. My naive bubble was popped in almost as quickly as it was inflated. I do agree that statistics are used all the time in politics to frame the debate. However, I think it's also important to separate fact from fiction. It's also important to separate an opinion from a fact. It is not a democratic opinion that drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will not affect the price we pay at the pump in the near future. Has someone figured out a way to tap oil reserves and deliver them directly to the pump in a matter of days, how about a year? I haven't heard of that, extracting oil from the ground is a time consuming process. Here's where a scientific opinion can come in, it's hard to predict exactly how much oil is left in ground. As science improves, our prediction definitely becomes more accurate. It is unlikely that even once it's extracted that there would be enough oil in the Arctic to influence global oil prices. But again that's just my opinion and I'm not a geologist so I'm not an expert.

There has to be a point where logic kicks and we realize that we can't drill our way out of energy problems. Another great quote from Senator Cornyn "It's undeniable that unless we increase our oil supply, we are stuck with high gas prices indefinitely." What happens if we increase our efficiency? The technology already exists to make our cars go further on less gas, so doesn't that decrease the cost. If you only need 1 gallon to get 60 miles instead of 2, that cuts your cost in half. This seems logical, lets use less gas to run our cars! When it comes down to it, oil is going to run out. Lets invest in something that isn't going to run out!

I do agree with Daniel Yergin about ending the either/or debate on energy. I don't think (opinion warning), it has to come down to high gas prices and energy forever OR drilling in the Arctic or off our costs. I also do not believe we've come to the point where it's build this coal fire power plant in Wise County, VA OR expect black outs across northern VA in 10 years. I do in fact believe it's possible to meet our energy needs, create jobs, and stimulate our economy without drilling or mining for it.



That's where this article leaves us with the concept of "Clean Coal"... the solution to all our energy needs. This is where I get riled up, because as much time as I've spent looking for clean coal. I can't find it! And trading out the photos of miners for models in lab coats isn't a different perspective, it's lying! Yeah that aren't many miners anymore, but mining is still happening. Instead we just blow up the mountain. Even if it was slightly possible that we could burn coal and have zero emissions, extractions is dirty and dangerous. We can scarcely begin to calculate the costs to figure out if they outweigh the benefits. Next I'll talk about some of the more intricate details of the coal industry depicted in Jeff Goodell "Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future" I hope after evaluating this book more closely I'll depict a more accurate image of the Coal Industry that exists today.