Robert Bryce On US Energy Policy.
Robert Bryce, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, lays out a cogent "reality-based" analysis of US energy needs and policy in his new book, "Power Hungry." This book is not a simple-minded, ideological rant. On the one hand, Bryce opposes mountain top coal mining due to its ecological impact. But, on the other hand, he is honest enough to recognize the policy implications of the fact that just one coal mine in Kentucky produces the equivalent of 75% of the energy produced by all wind and solar sources in the U.S. combined.
Bryce says that energy policy must be based upon four imperatives: "power density, energy density, cost and scale." Wind and solar power fail due to storage problems and weather. He points out that Denmark, the poster child for renewable energy, nevertheless imports hydroelectric power from Norway and Sweden, relies heavily upon North Sea oil and coal, and increased its greenhouse gas emissions by 2.1 percent between 1990 and 2006. Given the environmental cost of hydro-power ("ruining habitats for aquatic life"), oil spills, and coal mining, Bryce makes a strong case for heavier reliance upon natural gas, a relatively clean and readily available carbon fuel, as a bridge technology: "The smartest, most forward-looking U.S. energy policy can be summed up in one acronym: 'N2N'," for "natural gas to nuclear power."
The Democrat leadership in the Congress, which is figuring out where to go with energy legislation, would be well-advised to give Bryce's prescription careful consideration.
