An Energy Policy, Please

Thank you to the New York Times for today's "Energy Fictions" op-ed piece. Both McCain and Obama are doing disservice to the energy issues before us. The blathering about thumbs up or down on offshore drilling, proposed windfall profits taxes, proper tire pressure, and the rest just nibble at the edges. These are tactics when what we should be talking about is an energy policy. We need to move the focus off of the price of gas this week or next and talk about what we're going be doing for the next 10 to 20 years.

It's sad when Paris Hilton offers the most coherent take on an energy policy.


First, we don't need energy independence. We don't have food independence or clothing independence. What we need is strategic interdepedence. We don't need to stop importing oil from Canada or Mexico -- they are our friends and neighbors. We need a broad, unbiased look at all of our energy options from solar to nuclear. We need investment in basic science that can help fuel the growth of a world-class alternative energy industry. We need a President who will craft and implement an energy policy that panders neither to Big Oil or the most strident environmentalists.

We're going to have to blend energy sources to meet our needs. We consume a lot of energy and we have increasing competition for fossil fuel resources from China, India, and other emerging economies. We need to get as serious as Finland (yes, Finland) in facing this critical challenge that will have such impact on individuals and businesses across the country.

Too Soon to Turn Out the Lights?

Congress is mandating the elimination of incandescent light bulbs by 2014. I think that we shouldn't write off incandescence quite yet. First, compact flourescents contain mercury and thus environmental problems with disposal.

Second, flourescents can't be dimmed nor are they always bright enough. I've tried one in my desk lamp and it is just too dim. I'd miss being able to adjust the level of light to set the right mood or create the right environment for dining, watching a movie, or reading. About half the bulbs in our house are compact flourescents but in the other half of the fixtures they would be an inferior choice.

Third, "incandescence" is such a wonderful world. It rolls around the tongue and slips out like an early morning whisper. It speaks of warmth, of a special glow, of an ethereal quality.

GE claims that it has an incandescent bulb that will be as efficient as flourescent by 2010. We ought to allow -- and encourage -- multiple paths toward the goal of greater energy efficiency. The government should not mandate technologies; they are too susceptable to the pressure of lobbyists and the deliberative legislative process is a mismatch with the fast changing world of technology.

If incandescents are to go the way of the buggy whip, I'd rather it be because consumers choose an alternative rather than having no choice at all.