Why Offshore Drilling Can Bridge Gap to U.S. Energy Future

The Democratic and Republican conventions have arrived amidst a litany of calls for government-sponsored energy projects on the level of Apollo. Despite progress in fields from solar to wind and batteries to biofuels, Popular Mechanics' editor-in-chief says Americans should be careful what we wish for--scientists have more to offer than politicians.

Sadly, our government's track record isn't any better in picking energy sources that it does support. Coal has been a national priority ever since Jimmy Carter put on that cardigan. Yes, coal is plentiful, but it is an environmental headache all the way from strip mine to smokestack. Then there's ethanol. It was less than a year ago that leaders of both parties decided that ethanol made from corn would be a brilliant alternative to foreign oil. Speeches ... Full Story »

Posted by Kaizar Campwala

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Ormond Otvos
1.8
by Ormond Otvos - Oct. 1, 2008

Bad journalism. Looks like a Pickens plant. Ignores conservation, rapid ramp up of solar, wind. Ignores grid-tied efficiences. Makes ethanol decision look like scientists did it. Scientists advised against grain-based ethanol. Never mentions Energy Return on Investment. Doesn't mention vast advances in nuclear Modularized Pebble Bed Reactors as baseload. Doesn't mention infrastructure tie-ins with employment as alternative to building cars. Doesn't mention mass transit. Just another pitch for more CO2 from sources Pickens can get rich from: Natural gas will rise in price, of course.

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