GOP Energy Plan Takes Shape
Washington,
Jan 27, 2011 -
An emerging group of Republican leaders in Congress are putting together the elements of a new energy plan to help define a new national energy policy. Rep. Devin Nunes is emerging as one of the key architects of new Republican thinking on energy. His energy plan is getting attention, having been profiled in various national media outlets. With Washington in gridlock on energy, as on many other issues, the Obama administration and Democrats are waiting for the Republican positions to clarify so negotiations may begin, Nunes will speak about the Republican energy principles in a keynote address at the EnergyBiz Leadership Forum in Washington, Feb. 28 - March 1. He recently outlined his approach to energy in a commentary written for the current issue of EnergyBiz magazine. An edited version follows:
"For more than half a century, the United States has had access to abundant, reliable and affordable energy needed for America to create the largest and most dynamic economy in the world. However, our great legacy and the promise of future achievements cannot be taken for granted. With half of our annual trade deficit related to energy and 70 percent of our oil coming from foreign sources, we have become dangerously dependent on unstable foreign governments. This tenuous situation must end and it is time for Congress to enact major reforms.
Throughout modern history, national energy consumption and economic prosperity have been closely correlated. Strong and healthy economies consume vast amounts of energy, which in turn are used to increase knowledge, productivity and quality of life.
In contrast, policy makers have a clear view of what to expect if energy abundance is not made a top priority. Poverty and economic duress are universal characteristics of nations without affordable energy. A nighttime satellite image of North Korea in total darkness serves as a powerful example of this fact. This unique perspective on North Korean poverty from space is sharply contrasted with the shining prosperity visible in South Korea as well as other energy-rich nations.
To provide America with the energy it needs to thrive, Congress must first acknowledge certain facts about current energy sources. According to the Energy Information Agency, oil, gas and coal continue to be the overwhelmingly dominant source of energy for the people of the United States and the world. Without these sources of energy, America would simply not function.
Motorists in the United States consume nearly 485 million gallons of gasoline per day.
As a whole, fossil fuels account for 84 percent of the energy we consume. The next most significant source of energy is nuclear power, which constitutes about 7 percent. Policy makers have largely ignored these energy facts of life.
For more than 30 years, and since the presidency of Jimmy Carter, U.S. energy policy has largely existed outside the realm of reality. Rationing, whether through fuel efficiency standards or other rules imposed on manufacturers, has been used as a crutch in place of developing meaningful sources of energy. At the same time, politicians have made fanciful predictions about the capacity of renewable energy to replace fossil fuels, particularly when it comes to affordability.
President Carter's 1977 prediction, for example, that 20 percent of our energy would be sourced from solar panels by the year 2000, is 10 years overdue. In fact, less than one percent of our energy comes from solar today. Overall, the pace of energy innovation has been painstakingly slow despite tens of billions of dollars in direct subsidies, tax breaks and government-sponsored research. The American taxpayer deserves better. It is time for our nation's energy policy to be grounded in reality, a goal I have achieved in my new legislation.
The Roadmap for America's Energy Future recognizes that many options are available to secure our long-term energy security. The bill leverages these alternatives to produce a diverse energy portfolio that would offer much greater stability in the long run, as well as more affordable prices.
The Energy Roadmap begins by securing sufficient domestic fossil fuels for the coming decades, expanding oil production in the far reaches of northern Alaska, off our shores, and in the lower 48 through oil shale deposits. Additional access to federal land and new conventional energy leases will not only add reliability to our supply chain, helping to keep prices low, but will raise billions of dollars in lease and royalty revenues. These dollars will be dedicated to a trust fund that will be used to secure the long-term energy needs of our country through the deployment of affordable renewable and alternative energy options.
The roadmap is much more than an effort to substitute foreign oil with domestic oil. In fact, in my legislation I have proposed unprecedented investments in new forms of energy – the largest investment in renewable energy in world history.
At the same time, the roadmap recognizes that past investments in renewables have failed to provide meaningful choice or affordable energy alternatives. This is largely because federal funding for renewable and conventional energy alternatives have traditionally been provided to the most influential and well-connected special interests. I propose ending this cronyism by implementing a reverse auction that is blind to technology and immune from the influence of lobbyists or activists.
To receive federal support from the new trust fund, an energy producer would simply bid the minimum amount of federal assistance needed to create 1 megawatt of renewable electricity. The lowest bid will receive federal support. The roadmap debunks the notion that expensive energy is the only way to spur alternatives and rejects the myth that Americans can live without oil and gas in the near future. Furthermore, the plan recognizes the importance and enormous potential of nuclear power.
It is beyond dispute that nuclear power is the most effective way to reduce our nation's overall fossil fuel consumption in the coming decades. While additional investments in technologies and alternatives are needed, particularly to accommodate our transportation needs, America's electrical demand can largely be met with the construction of 200 new reactors by 2050. The roadmap not only mandates the siting of these reactors, but it also paves the way for regulatory approval by streamlining the process. The attractiveness of nuclear energy is greatly enhanced by the roadmap's waste recycling provision. Since nuclear fuel retains 96 percent of its energy, fuel recycling will greatly increase efficiency. Additionally, it will mean that only 4 percent of the fuel will end up in long-term storage.
Nuclear waste recycling isn't a new concept. It is already being done safely and securely around the world. France, one of the most environmentally conscious nations on Earth, uses recycling to power reactors that provide 78 percent of the nation's electricity. Their waste stream is stored in a building no larger than the size of a typical high school gymnasium.
The reforms contained in the roadmap present Congress with an opportunity to build a bridge to our nation's energy future without sacrificing our national prosperity. The plan will create real, high-paying jobs, and is certain to reduce carbon emissions more than any proposal before Congress to date. If enacted, the Energy Roadmap would fund the most aggressive effort to deploy renewable energy in history.
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