Americans’ Use of Oil Alarming to Official
In 25 years, Americans will use 40 percent more oil than they do today, and the world will use 57 percent more.
That’s the conclusion of a highranking official of the U.S. Department of Energy, who thinks the trend is dangerous.
"We are headed in the wrong direction under a business-asusual scenario," said David W. Conover, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Policy and International Affairs.
Yesterday, Conover and 50 representatives from the energy industry, academia, environmental groups and others met in Columbus in hopes of finding solutions to America’s energy problems.
The summit was hosted by Ohio University’s Consortium for Energy, Economics and the Environment and Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, who called for a "second declaration of independence," this time from foreign energy sources.
Saying the United States needs to "get out from under" Middle Eastern oil, Voinovich advocated a cooperative approach for all sides of the energy debate.
"If we don’t harmonize our energy, our economic and our environmental issues, then God help us," he said.
Voinovich, Conover and others painted a bleak picture of the energy situation.
Americans consume 24 million barrels of oil a day, nearly half of which is used for transportation, said Don McConnell, senior vice president at Battelle.
"We have options when it comes to dealing with transportation fuels," McConnell said, mentioning diesel and hybrid-engine technologies.
Sixty percent of the oil and 15 percent of natural gas that Americans use is imported, Conover said. But there are ways to change that, and Ohio is "uniquely positioned" to be at the forefront of those efforts, Conover said.
"What we’ve got in Ohio that’s a huge advantage is an agriculture base for (biofuels) and a healthy coal base with some leading players who can do some work in clean-coal technology," he said. Ohio also has two nuclear plants, an energy source many summit speakers advocated.
Participants prepared recommendations, including promoting mass transit and urban living, making the regulatorypermit process more consistent, improving energy-distribution systems and improving emissions and efficiencies at power plants.
TheColumbusDispatch
That’s the conclusion of a highranking official of the U.S. Department of Energy, who thinks the trend is dangerous.
"We are headed in the wrong direction under a business-asusual scenario," said David W. Conover, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Policy and International Affairs.
Yesterday, Conover and 50 representatives from the energy industry, academia, environmental groups and others met in Columbus in hopes of finding solutions to America’s energy problems.
The summit was hosted by Ohio University’s Consortium for Energy, Economics and the Environment and Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, who called for a "second declaration of independence," this time from foreign energy sources.
Saying the United States needs to "get out from under" Middle Eastern oil, Voinovich advocated a cooperative approach for all sides of the energy debate.
"If we don’t harmonize our energy, our economic and our environmental issues, then God help us," he said.
Voinovich, Conover and others painted a bleak picture of the energy situation.
Americans consume 24 million barrels of oil a day, nearly half of which is used for transportation, said Don McConnell, senior vice president at Battelle.
"We have options when it comes to dealing with transportation fuels," McConnell said, mentioning diesel and hybrid-engine technologies.
Sixty percent of the oil and 15 percent of natural gas that Americans use is imported, Conover said. But there are ways to change that, and Ohio is "uniquely positioned" to be at the forefront of those efforts, Conover said.
"What we’ve got in Ohio that’s a huge advantage is an agriculture base for (biofuels) and a healthy coal base with some leading players who can do some work in clean-coal technology," he said. Ohio also has two nuclear plants, an energy source many summit speakers advocated.
Participants prepared recommendations, including promoting mass transit and urban living, making the regulatorypermit process more consistent, improving energy-distribution systems and improving emissions and efficiencies at power plants.
TheColumbusDispatch
posted by Ottawa Gas Prices | 8:05 AM
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