Energy Reform Series: Part 1

The United States has a huge energy problem.  Gas price fluctuations throughout the year show us the fragility of our oil supply and our unhealthy dependence on petroleum for energy.  Coal mining accidents, very tragic occurrences, also force us to question our attachment to a resource that pollutes the environment so much.

The United States uses far too much resources like coal and oil and far to little of resources like solar and wind.  Yes, part of the reason is the price of the energy, but these polluting resources also have an unquantifiable environmental price.  Additionally, with government and private sector help, we can make these forms of energy cheap and efficient.

world oil production has increased in recent decades

Conservatives who wail that the government should not get involved should take a history lesson.  A lot of change has come out of government action, and for the better.  NASA, for a while, was the sole consumer of major computers, sustaining an infant industry that has now led to a huge tech sector in the United States.  A form of the Internet was started by the Department of Defense.  Government investment has lead to University funding and the Space Race.  Therefore, we can safely say that there is a place and time for government investment.

We need to make sure that we, as a country, jump ahead and capitalize on energy reform.  If America does not take the lead, some other country will do so, and we will have to buy it from them.  Coming up with and manufacturing the new clean energy technology does not require vast oil reserves or coal mines.  All it requires is an innovative spirit, ingenuity, a bit of private capital, and political will.  We have all of these, to varying extents, right here in America.  The only thing lacking in any regard would be political will.  We need leadership in Washington and around the country to kick-start a clean energy revolution.

By bringing in government investment and private capital, we can diversify our energy sources and make sure  it is affordable and the industry is sustainable.  The US can then become a leader on the world stage, exporting this technology to the rest of the globe.  By being a leader in clean energy, the US could mitigate the influence OPEC countries like Iran wield simply because they have oil.  By acting now, the US can secure its place in the energy hierarchy of the globe.

The Obscure and Interesting Politics of Food

Since today is Thanksgiving, and it is a time to be thankful and eat considerable amounts of food, we felt it was appropriate to address food as an issue in today's politics.  Food is actually a huge political debate and has significant implications associated with it, most of the time without us realizing it.

The first issue is the way we view and produce food in the first place. For the better part of the last half century, governmental policy has dramatically encouraged the production of a finite breadth of food types, doling out subsidies to corn, meat and dairy farmers, as seen by the graphic below.

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The subsidies encourage farmers to have limited diversity in the breakdown of the crops they grow and produce.  Instead of producing more broccoli, farmers can make a larger profit by producing the meat and corn that is so dominant in our economy.

The imbalance in production mirrors an imbalance in price.  A Big Mac is a far more economical option than broccoli in the short term for a family whose income is only minimum wage.  You may think that this is not a big concern, but it has huge lasting repercussions in many areas, from health to national security.

First of all, because of the high amounts and low prices of high calorie foods, this contributes to a food environment that favors the consumption of these high calorie options.  Consequently,  over one third of adults are currently classified as obese and kids are quickly catching up.

This epidemic of obesity has serious problems for our health system.  With an increased number of people being obese, this also means an increased number of people with weight related health problems, such as heart disease.  This means higher health care costs for everyone, as health care providers scramble to balance the books with such a large segment of the population representing such a high risk. Now, with the Obama health care plan representing a large role for government in the management of health care, this means government may have a new role in managing the food supply to promote health.

But health problems are only one part of the food picture.  One is food's relationship to energy.  The production and transportation of food takes over 19% of the fossil fuels used in American industries.  In addition, more carbon is introduced into the atmosphere due to all sorts of farm factors: through chemical fertilizers, machinery,  processing, etc.  This guzzling of a scarce resource, oil, only adds to the dependence on foreign oil, another politicized issue that politicians love to have their talking points about.  Regardless, the energy politics are a lot more complicated than just a question of energy for cities and cars, it also includes how we gain the calories we need.

The final point we must consider is food security. Michael Pollen addresses the importance of the issue in his article An Open Letter to the President by saying that "when a nation loses the ability to substantially feed itself, it is not only at the mercy of global commodity markets but of other governments as well." Now, what is the US's position in terms of food security?

First of all, relating back to energy, much of our food has been re-purposed for fuel. Up to 37% of our total corn crop has been directed away from the food market and into ethanol production. This decreases the food supply, but as of yet it has yet to impact us in a significantly negative way. We discuss the negative consequences of using food for fuel here.

But that may change in the coming decades, as a combination of factors could pose serious threats to our food supply. For one, the energy that the food supply so dearly depends on could become much less dependable and much more expensive, especially as the politics of the Middle East become more and more unpredictable. Moreover, the US just this last summer was hit with a historic drought, and Russia has had severe decreases in wheat production as they deal with similar environmental factors. If these severe weather instances develop into recurring trends, then it will be even more difficult to maintain a steady food supply. Finally, as examples such as the 2008 Chinese milk scandal helped reinforce, the US cannot rely on international sources of food without serious misgivings about the detriments to health.

All isn't lost though. There are actions we can take to ensure our own health, energy efficiency, and national security with how we decide to manage the politics of food in the coming years. So given that, after you eat and give thanks today, write to your representative to send the message that food is a very important political issue right now and needs to be addressed in a pragmatic manner.


Happy Thanksgiving!

Energy Independence is Needed to Free Ourselves From Foreign Energy

We must pursue alternative energy resources in order to achieve energy independence.  We must reduce our consumption of oil and coal and turn to renewable.  We can structure our economy on this, for if the US is not a producer of green energy, it will have to be a buyer.  That would be very harmful to our economy in the future.  We can build a powerful energy economy on green energy.  Large producers of oil can control prices and reap the benefits.  We can do the same, with green energy, right here in the US.

Also, regarding biofuels:  we should not use our precious corn supplies to make biofuels.  Instead, we should try to expand cellulosic and other types of ethanol.  It is much more efficient and it is not food, so we will not run the risk of shortages.  It can even be made using the husks of the corn, something that would normally be thrown out.  That way, food prices will be low for farmers can get money for their garbage.  We can use that garbage as part of our energy future.  

Investing in energy will require an upfront cost, spending cuts can cover that, but we can get it back in the future by selling energy and technology to other nations. We must pursue solar, hydrogen-fuel cell, and wind energy futures as well. 

It is time to phase out oil and coal and usher in new, more efficient forms of energy.  One method could be a tax break for people who own cars that have over 35 miles to the gallon.  This way, along with the tax hikes, there will be some tax cuts.  Hopefully, more people will take advantage of this and get a car with a tax break and therefore save money by going green.

Oil Companies must also pay their fair share in taxes.  We must not let oil companies go off free when they do not produce fuel that is sustainable or beneficial to the environment.  We need to push energy companies to reform their practices, encouraging investment in clean and sustainable technologies.