Hess, J: Energy Independence: Caught Behind the Power Curve

The world's oil reserve is a finite resource which is rapidly being depleted; inevitably we will run out. It is the United States Government¿s fundamental responsibility to ensure we are prepared to face an oil-constrained, and eventually, an oil-free world. Currently, the US imports 2/3 of its oil from other nations, many of which are unstable and openly hostile to us. This leaves the US vulnerable to the whims of these nations and their leaders. To eliminate this threat, the US needs to commit sufficient resources to the development of technologies which are sustainable and will allow us to reduce and eventually eliminate the need for petroleum. The sooner we begin developing alternatives to oil, the less costly and painful it will be. This paper suggests that we simultaneously undertake a two prong approach, one that focuses on the near term activities which can be implemented in the 5-10 year timeframe and the second looks at technologies which may be implemented in the next 15-30 years.