Ex-Pentagon Officials: Energy Efficiency Directly Related to National Security

[irishbobcat]

Ex-Pentagon Officials: Energy Efficiency Directly Related to National Security
written by Mridul Chadha
Published on May 20th, 2009

A report released by the group Center for Naval Analyses quoted former top-ranking generals and admirals saying that dependence on foreign oil and failure to make the national grid compatible with renewable energy sources is a serious threat to the security of the United States.
Oil continues to be the primary source of energy generation in the United States. But more significant is the source of the oil that America consumes. The problem with the energy production in the United States is that it is not only heavily dependent on fossil fuels but also on imported fossil fuels. As the report noted, America's armed forces are big consumers of oil and they have been highly active for the last decade of so, further increasing the oil consumption and import from other countries. The situation puts America in an uneasy situation since it has become heavy dependent on foreign fuel.
Since that time [1980s], the total volume of oil imported to the United States has nearly tripled. That dependence weakens U.S. international leverage, undermines foreign policy and threatens economic stability, the report finds, noting that well more than half of top oil companies are wholly or majority-owned by foreign states and are located in countries like Venezuela, Russia and Iran.
Energy resources have become an instrument to wield power and influence in the world, a fact explicitly demonstrated by Russia when it cut gas supplies to Georgia and Europe. Last year experts had warned of an spectacular rise in oil prices in case Iran attempts to blockade the sea routes in the Middle East, a small but real possibility of which continues to persist even today.
In addition, the North Atlantic nations have scrambled their exploration teams to map potential reserves of oil and other commodities in the Arctic region Russia not ruling out the possibility of a war over the right to use those resources. Russia, also the world's largest natural gas producer, further intends to tighten its grip over global fuel supplies by proposing the formation of an OPEC-like cartel for natural gas.
What Needs To Be Done
The United States has the added responsibility to aggressively adapt its energy systems to be powered by renewable sources as it would directly impact the pace and success of related international efforts. Recent efforts to tap the offshore oil reserves cannot be classified as long term solutions to the issue of energy independence since they would be source of carbon emissions compromising all other efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change.
The US Congress needs to work on various fronts simultaneously in order to solve this problem. First, it must be ensured that a big portion of the stimulus money is spent on upgrading and expansion of the existing grid. This would not only create jobs but would also strengthen the distribution system and open remote areas for development of solar and wind energy. There cannot be any growth in the renewable energy use until and unless the grid is made compatible to the new energy systems.
Importance must also be given to public transport. There has been talks about reviving the rail projects throughout the country, these plans must be implemented in the same way as the improvements in national grid.
Further, in order to make small scale renewable energy systems a success the government would have to provide subsidies as well. Small scale energy systems gain importance since the transformation and expansion of grid would be expensive and logistically difficult task. Another reason why there is the need of a bottom-up approach is the huge carbon footprints that the American households have. This issue has been raised several times by the developing countries as they continue to press US to reduce its domestic carbon emissions.
But there is a limit to which the government can infuse money into these project on its own, eventually there would be some kind of carbon tax or cap and trade scheme to raise money for these cash intensive projects. In addition, America has the obligation to contribute to the international Adaptation Fund which will help poor and developing countries with clean energy technology transfer.
There has been tremendous growth in the renewable energy sector in the United States. Last year it surpassed Germany as the leader in wind energy generation and also became the most attractive market for renewable energy investments. Solar and wind energy companies are being given tax incentives to ensure sustainable growth. President Obama has recently unveiled new emission and fuel economy standards for cars. These measures are in line with those implemented by the European Union which has emerged as the leader in protecting environment and reducing carbon emissions.
There are now some serious questions in front of the US  Congress. They can either have the country continue to depend on the foreign supplies of fuels or take aggressive steps to ensure sustainable growth of renewable energy systems which could power the country. The time to act is now as the economic downturn has emerged as an opportunity to invest in sectors which provide long term benefits and generate jobs.

If the military knows the importance of renewable fuels, isn't it about time the neo-cons
Hop aboard the 21st century energy train?

Dennis Spisak
Mahoning Valley Green Party
Ohio Green Party

www.ohiogreens.org
www.votespisak.org/thinkgreen/