Triumphing over a national crisis

The lack of a coherent national energy policy has crippled our economy, compromised our national security and harmed our environment.

Record-high gas prices are hurting every American.  While I am home in Indiana, every single person I meet is concerned about how they will afford their next tank of gas, especially with the cost of groceries going up and real wages going down. Exorbitant gas prices are diminishing personal and business purchasing power and causing a terrible trade deficit to worsen.

Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), when he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, “No one who is honestly assessing the decline of American leverage around the world due to our energy dependence can fail to see that energy is the albatross of U.S. national security.”

And carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels are destroying the earth’s atmosphere and fundamentally altering the climate around the globe.

Change will not happen overnight, but the energy crisis can be resolved. By acting urgently and with a purpose we can solve the problem. This Congress has set the ball rolling by advancing renewable energy, increasing CAFE standards and supporting conservation. We must do much more to provide relief to American drivers and move away from a carbon-based economy.

First, Congress has a responsibility to help drivers get more miles per gallon. We are starting to see the payoff of ongoing federal research in vehicle technologies as new, more efficient automobiles are being introduced into the market. Through continued and expanded support for vehicle technologies research we can displace a considerable portion of our gasoline consumption.

Second, we have to do more to leverage the power of conservation. Since the 1970s, when President Jimmy Carter encouraged Americans to turn down the thermostat and put on a sweater to save energy, conservation has reduced energy consumption by 30 percent. By conscientiously conserving energy and pursuing technologies that provide new and improved opportunities to conserve, we can drastically cut back on our energy consumption.

Third, Congress must flat-out reject President Bush’s proposal to cut renewable energy programs by $467 million in fiscal 2009. Renewable energy programs play an important role in balancing our energy mix, reducing our dependence on foreign oil and limiting harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Fourth, we must pursue coal power with carbon capture and storage, which can expand our electricity generation to augment dependability and amplify capacity without the harmful emissions of traditional coal. The coal reserves in the Midwest alone contain more energy than all the oil under Saudi Arabia and we must press ahead with demonstrations and deployment of coal power with carbon capture and storage technologies.

Fifth, we must address the aging of our civilian nuclear reactors, which are, on average, between one-third and one-half of the way through their operable lifetimes. In order to provide carbon-free, efficient energy we must renew our nation’s commitment to nuclear power and maintain the Yucca Mountain repository as our nuclear waste storage solution.

As hurtful as the energy crisis is for Americans, it can be solved by inventing and investing. We must make our vehicles more efficient, leverage the power of conservation, continue to invest in renewable energy programs, pursue coal power with carbon cap and storage, and expand the use of nuclear power.

The best energy policy is one with a robust energy mix.  We should focus on getting to the point where no single source or supplier of energy can threaten the health of our economy or our national security and where generating the energy we need does not destroy our environment. America can invent and invest its way out of the energy crisis, provide new job opportunities, and make our country a cleaner, safer, more prosperous place to live.

Visclosky is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.