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Politics : Rat's Nest - Chronicles of Collapse -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (8037)	7/4/2008 10:16:52 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24231

The energy panic First published: Friday, July 4, 2008 The fundamental lessons for a country suddenly facing an energy crisis and an uncertain economy ought to be clear enough. Drive slower -- when you have to drive at all, that is. Seek alternative forms of transportation. Turn off the lights you don't need, and don't be wasteful. Oh, and by all means, don't go lunging for the panic button. A poll released by the Pew Research Center this week suggests that Americans need to be reminded of the reassuring words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, back when the country was in the midst of the Great Depression: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." The poll results sure make it seem like Americans are fearful enough to embrace all the wrong solutions to their energy woes. Support for conservation is down markedly in just a few months. In February, 55 percent of those surveyed said conservation should be a priority over drilling for more oil and building new power plants. By late June, however, only 45 percent thought that way. Five months ago, 35 percent thought exploration for oil and other sources of energy was more crucial than anything else. Now, in the latest poll, it's up to 45 percent. The number of people who say increasing the energy supply is more critical than conserving the energy supply is up, too, from from 54 percent to 60 percent. "This shows the real impact of higher gas prices on the public," says Carroll Doherty the Pew Research Center. No doubt. But what sort of quick fixes are they looking for? It's no surprise that $4 and change (and climbing) for a gallon gasoline has more people -- 50 percent, up from 42 percent in February -- supporting oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Don't they know how long it would be before that oil from one of North America's great environmental treasures would be available, let alone make much of a difference? Drilling there and off shore wouldn't necessarily add to the U.S. oil supply. The oil instead would go into the world supply. The United States controls a mere 3 percent of oil reserves. Some 75 percent of the world's oil production is consumed by people living outside the United States. That portion is most likely going to increase, too. Building more power plants sounds appealing -- at least until the terribly high cost of them, especially nuclear power plants, is factored in. The complicated matter of nuclear waste disposal has to be considered as well. Conservation may seem way too quaint, way too 1970s and reminiscent of the struggles of Jimmy Carter's presidency. Winston Churchill said of democracy that it fares quite well when compared to all other forms of government. Conservation still fares quite well compared with the various alternatives. We need to consume less energy, and that begins with steering clear of the panic button. THE ISSUE: Rising oil prices are changing views on drilling. THE STAKES: This is no time to hastily jettison conservation goals. timesunion.com