Energy Security: Smart Energy Choices

We need a smarter, cleaner energy future. Increasing energy efficiency and production of renewable energy will improve national security, create jobs, save consumers money and reduce pollution.

Decreasing Oil Dependence

We cannot drill our way out of reliance on unstable oil sources. The Persian Gulf holds 65 percent of the world’s oil reserves, the U.S. only three percent. In order to curb our dependence on foreign oil, we must reduce our consumption overall.

Since cars and light trucks account for 40 percent of all petroleum use in the U.S., the best way to cut our dependence on oil is to make vehicles go farther on a gallon of gas. Miles-per-gallon (mpg) standards enacted in 1975 doubled the fuel economy of new American cars and continue to save the United States 2.8 million barrels of oil per day. Unfortunately, fuel economy is now at a 21 year low as auto-makers sell more SUVs and other light trucks, which are allowed to meet lower miles-per-gallon standards than cars.

Increasing Auto Fuel Economy Standards
A report by the National Academy of Sciences shows that each automaker could produce a fleet of cars and light trucks that meets a fuel economy standard of 37 mpg within 10-15 years using cost-effective existing technology. In 2002, the Senate missed an opportunity to increase the fuel economy of cars and trucks to 35 mpg by 2013. This standard would:

• Conserve one million barrels of oil each day in 2013; this is more than 12 times the projected daily yield from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the same year.
• Conserve 2.5 million barrels of oil each day by 2020—as much oil as we currently import from the Persian Gulf.
• Save consumers a net of $4 billion annually at the gas pump starting in 2013, and the savings will increase as cars with higher fuel economy replace older vehicles.
• Create more than 40,000 jobs in the auto industry, according to an analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists of a slightly higher fuel economy standard.
• Cut global warming pollution from transportation sources by 16 percent by 2020.

Protecting The Arctic Refuge
Drilling in sensitive areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would do virtually nothing to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. In contrast, increasing fuel economy standards would have far-reaching benefits for our energy security.

• The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that there are only six months worth of economically recoverable oil in the Arctic Refuge, which would not be available for at least ten years.
• The Arctic Refuge would reduce U.S. oil imports by only two percent—from 64 percent to 62 percent of total oil consumption in 2020.
• By 2017, the cumulative oil savings of a 35 mpg fuel economy standard would be greater than the total projected yield from the Arctic Refuge over its 50-year lifetime.

U.S. Oil Imports and Options for Decreasing Dependence (millions of barrels of oil per day)

Increasing Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is the quickest, cheapest, cleanest way to help improve national security, save energy and reduce pollution. Energy efficiency means smarter energy use, such as light bulbs that require one quarter the energy of traditional bulbs.

Using energy wisely:

• Reduces demand and decreases our overall dependence on fossil fuels, including imported oil.
• Boosts the economy. A recent study by the World Wildlife Fund and Tellus Institute found that energy efficiency policies could create 700,000 jobs by 2010 and 1.3 million by 2020.
• Reduces the threat of electricity shortages. California reduced demand for peak electricity by about 11% between June and August 2001, helping to avert the threat of rolling blackouts.
• Saves consumers money. Energy efficiency policies enacted over the past 25 years saved consumers $260 billion on their energy bills in 2000.
• Protects the environment. Just switching to compact fluorescent bulbs would avert 1.5 tons of global warming pollution per household.
• Can be implemented quickly. While it would take 5 years to build a new coal power plant, it only takes a month to weatherize a home.

Given these benefits and relative ease of implementing energy efficiency policies, we should create a public benefits trust fund that would provide matching funds to states for energy efficiency programs.

Increasing Production Of Clean Renewable Energy

The potential power output of wind, solar and geothermal resources in the U.S. is many times greater than our total electricity consumption. A national standard increasing renewable energy sources to 20 percent of power generation by 2020, combined with energy efficiency policies, would benefit the country’s energy security, economy and environment.

Building Energy Security
If we start increasing the use of clean renewables now, by 2020 as much as one-third of our energy could come from clean renewable energy. This would:

• Diversify our energy sources. Currently only two percent of our energy comes from renewable sources. However, the wind that blows in just four states—North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska––could meet the electricity needs of the entire country.
• Create a more resilient and geographically dispersed national energy system that is less dependent on large polluting power plants. This system would be less vulnerable to disruption by human threats or natural disasters.
• Boost the economy. A study by the State of Wisconsin found that increased use of clean renewable energy sources would create a net impact of three times more jobs than that from traditional sources of electricity.

Protecting Consumers, The Environment And Public Health
Combined with energy efficiency policies, a clean energy standard that required 20 percent of our energy to come from renewable sources would:

• Save consumers more than $70 billion by 2020 by lowering prices for natural gas and buffering them against fuel price hikes.
• Reduce global warming pollution from power plants by one-third.
• Reduce smog pollution from power plants by 15 percent and soot-forming pollution by eight percent. Each year, this smog and soot pollution causes millions of asthma attacks and shortens the lives of at least 30,000 Americans.