U.S. faces an energy crisis that is expected to take decades to fix

Francis Dietz
ASME Government Relations

WASHINGTON — Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, told ASME's Industry Advisory Board that the United States is facing an energy crisis that may take decades to fix.

Energy policy was the focus of the IAB's spring meeting last month. Murkowski told the IAB that U.S. energy demand has outstripped supply, leading to blackouts in California, and threatening outages in parts of the Northeast this summer.

Oil, natural gas, nuclear power and coal, which are the United States' traditional energy sources, will be the main sources for decades to come, Murkowski said. But hydroelectric power will be receiving renewed interest in Washington because of its non-emitting nature, he added.

Sen. Frank Murkowski of Alaska addresses ASME's Industry Advisory Board.

Likewise, clean coal will be emphasized in the coming years, mostly due to concern over the current prevalence of natural gas to fuel power plants. Natural gas, Murkowski said, is "clean, permittable, but expensive," whereas coal is plentiful and cheap, but far more polluting.

Referring to the subject in his energy bill (S. 389) that receives the most attention — exploring for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — Murkowski framed his position in terms of national security. "We are being held hostage by our dependence on foreign oil," he said.

"Currently, 56 percent of our oil comes from overseas, a percentage that is expected to increase over the next 10 years to 64 percent," he said. "That, coupled with a major decline in this country's refining capacity, and our aging oil infrastructure, means we're facing a very real crisis."

Karen Knutson, who is deputy director of the National Energy Policy Development Group headed by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, told the IAB that she expects the National Energy Policy to be released in mid-May, but that much work needs to be done.

She emphasized that the document will be broad in scope, and will provide little detail about how it should be implemented. Those steps will come later, and will involve, as the Policy Group does, representatives from all the relevant federal agencies, including the Departments of Energy, Commerce, Defense, Treasury and Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

During a panel session, noted climate change expert James Edmonds of Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory spoke to the group about atmospheric carbon stabilization, noting that such action would require a fundamental change in the energy system, not only of the United States, but of the world.

It would not, however, preclude the use of fossil fuels, but would require significant technological advances to achieve. Because of that, Edmonds said, current trends in energy research and development are cause for concern.

With energy supply atop everyone's agenda, American Nuclear Society President James Lake was upbeat about nuclear power's prospects in the nation's future energy mix. Given the pressing need for additional electricity supply, Lake said that nuclear power is getting a second look in the United States.

The waste issue remains a problem, Lake acknowledged. He favored a second look at reprocessing, claiming that a sustainable fuel cycle can help minimize the future waste problem.

Rounding out the panel, Larry Papay of Science Applications International Corp. discussed the future role of distributed generation, or using small-scale (around 10 megawatts) electric generating plants on or near users' sites.

sidebar: IAB recommendations for ASME to consider

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