The End of Energy: The Unmaking of America's Environment,
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Graetz, Michael J., PUBLISHER: MIT Press (MA), Americans take for granted that when we flip a switch the light will goon, when we turn up the thermostat the room will get warm, and when we pull up tothe pump gas will be plentiful and relatively cheap. In The End of Energy, MichaelGraetz shows us that we have been living an energy delusion for forty years. Untilthe s, we produced domestically all the oil we needed to run our power plants, heat our homes, and fuel our cars. Since then, we have had to import most of the oilwe use, much of it from the Middle East. And we rely on an even dirtierfuel--coal--to produce half of our electricity. Graetz describes more than fortyyears of energy policy incompetence--from the Nixon administration's fumbledresponse to the OPEC oil embargo through the failure to develop alternative energysources to the current political standoff over "cap and trade"--and arguesthat we must make better decisions for our energy future. Rather than pushingpolicies that, over time, would produce the changes we need, presidents have swungfor the fences, wasting billions seeking a technological "silver bullet"to solve all our problems. Congress has continually elevated narrow parochialinterests over our national goals, directing huge subsidies and tax breaks tofavored constituents and contributors. And, despite thousands of pages of energylegislation since the s, Americans have never been asked to pay a price thatreflects the real cost of the energy they consume. Until Americans face the factsabout price, our energy incompetence will continue--and along with it the unravelingof our environment, security, and independence.