The Energy Crisis in the United States - Coursework Example

The Energy Crisis in the United s Word Count: The Energy Crisis in the United s As it is common knowledge, energy is a resource that is very crucial and important to the growth and development of every country’s economy. This is because many economic projects depend on energy in order to turn out successfully. The United States is no different. Being a large country and among the economic super powers, the United States highly depends on the energy resource for its functions and projects. However, since the early 70’s, the country has been faced with a challenge when it comes to the energy resource. Just as termed by the then president, Jimmy Carter, the energy crisis had not overwhelmed the country by then. But it was going to evolve into a big problem if it was not quickly acted upon (Carter, 1977, p 4-7). Almost forty years later, the country is still faced with an energy crisis. This is a fact that no one can dispute. As much as the cause of the crisis can remain to be a highly controversial issue, it can never be denied that a crisis does exist (Baker, 2012, pp. 56-107). However, the current government, under the leadership and direction of president Barrack Obama, has shown great efforts in trying to deal with the crisis. There are a number of statutes that have been deliberated on and passed into law by the congress, to ensure that the country is operating towards finding solutions to the energy crisis that has faced it for a very long time. This paper therefore seeks to define with clarity the energy crisis facing the nation, and how the president, the congress, interest groups and the American citizens have or are responding to that particular crisis, in a bid to find solutions to the same. Introduction The United States is yet to become independent with regard to energy production. Since time immemorial, the country has been forced to depend highly on imported oil from the Middle East, Canada and Mexico (Hutchinson, Nd, p. 1). This has been a challenge to the nation’s economic prospects, as it pays dearly for such importations. In order to understand the discourse of this paper properly, it is best to start by defining and describing this energy crisis. Basically speaking, the crisis as to energy revolves around various issues upon which many groups have failed to agree on the way forward. These include increased cost of fuel, environmental degradation due to emissions and over-reliance on imported sources of energy. Since 1970, the various government administrations that have come through have failed to find a permanent solution to this problem. However, just as promised, the Obama administration has developed various tools towards combating the energy crisis. As a result of this, the government has come up with a National Energy Policy that seeks to confront each of the various issues related to energy. In fact, the National Energy Policy consolidates the issues constituting the crisis into three major issues, and lays down strategies on how to tackle each of them (Baker, 2012, pp. 117-201). As will be discussed in the course of this paper, president Obama, the Congress and various interest groups have played a role in ensuring that the objectives on the National Policy are achieved. At this instance, therefore, it is best to define and describe the objectives of the National Energy Policy. Ensuring a secure supply of energy is the first objective, followed by keeping the cost of energy at minimum and protecting the environment. In other words, this is the way in which the president and his government have decided to approach the crisis. According to the president, the energy crisis facing the nation is a serious one, a critical one to be exact. However, it is not a challenge that the United State cannot overcome (Deutch, 2011, pp. 100-168). He believes that a solution can be found to the crisis through the adoption of an appropriate energy policy that will seek to attend to the needs of the people, rather than to the selfish interests of a few. On ensuring a secure supply of energy, the government seeks to come up with a sustainable energy supply system that will reduce, if not eradicate, the United States’ dependence on imported sources of energy. The president acknowledges the fact that the country’s dependence on oil is a threat to national security and economy (Obama & Biden, Nd, pp. paragraph 1-5). Over the years, the nation has majorly relied on imported oil as the main source of energy. Statistics show that the United States consumes about twenty million barrels of petroleum on a daily basis. The sad story is that domestic production only meets forty nine percent of this demand (Hutchinson, Nd, p. 1). This therefore indicates that the remaining fifty one percent comes from other countries, approximately ninety. These statistics are not good statistics that a country as big and powerful as ours can be proud of. This is why the government had to come up with a National Policy that will reduce this over-reliance on oil as a source of energy, and more so, the imported one. The policy suggests alternative sources of energy which the country can adopt to that effect. Among them is wind energy, hydroelectric energy, nuclear energy and renewable energy. The most interesting part is that various parties still fail to agree on these alternative sources of energy. Nuclear energy is the one that seems to draw the attention of many (Nuclear, 2014, p. 1). Some parties feel that delving too much into it might not be a good idea, considering the international policy on nuclear energy. However, the Obama administration seeks to keep its production to the minimum, so as not to overstep the limits set by the international policy on nuclear energy production. The objective of keeping the cost of energy at minimum rises from the fact that the American citizens, who are the real energy consumers, have complained of the high petroleum prices. As much as this is entirely blamed on the government, it cannot be blamed for this. The high prices are a result of the over-reliance on the imported oil, which is expensive and costs the government a big deal. As a result of this, the American citizens have to pay through their noses, by way of increased taxes (Baker, 2012, pp. 57-177). The National Energy Policy therefore seeks to relieve its citizens off this burden. By reducing its dependence on oil as the main source of energy, the government will be saving a good amount of its finances, which it can in turn use to invest in the production of cheaper alternative sources of energy. Environmental protection is another aspect that has greatly contributed to the energy crisis. This is because the sources of energy that has been previously adopted by the United States have contributed to environmental degradation in one way or the other. In fact, it is worth noting that some groups have not been against the idea of oil importation due to the huge finances involved, but because of its impact on the environment. The emissions or oil by products have been known to pollute the environment in one way or the other, something that hampers the United States’ fight against environmental pollution (Deutch, 2011, pp. 43-160). This issue has even complicated the process of finding solutions to the energy crisis, as some groups are of the opinion that the alternative sources of energy, especially from nuclear sources, impact on the environment negatively. However, the Obama administration has found a better way to go about this issue, by coming up with policies that seek to minimize the pollution from the various alternative sources of energy. The New Wastes Strategy, as announced by the Department of Energy in January 2013 sought to develop a new organization, to manage the setting, development and operation of future wastes (Nuclear, 2014, p. 1). This will work to ensure that the wastes from the production of these alternative sources of energy are well managed or treated before being released into the environment. From these, it can be clearly seen that president Obama is working to reduce the emission of carbon di oxide via various regulations. He has put the issue of energy and the environment at the top of his second term agenda (Deutch, 2014, p. 1). The United States Congress in Washington D.C on the other hand have passed various bills over the past two or three years, that seeks to set the pace and framework in the implementation of the National Energy Policy. However, the 113th Congress has focused on specific topics in its legislation as opposed to broad legislation like the one enacted in 1992, 2005 and 2007 (Yacobucci, 2014, pp. paragraph 2-6). To be specific enough, the congress has enacted statutes on generally less controversial topics including hydro-electric licensing and permitting and pipeline safety documentation (Yacobucci, 2014, pp. paragraph 2-7). These are rules and regulations upon which any company seeking to operate in the production of hydroelectric power and oil transportation must abide by. In addition, the Congress passed the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013. This particular law seeks to promote energy efficiency in buildings and industry, by encouraging the adoption of uniform codes in the same field. Conclusion From the foregoing discussion, it is clear that the United States has through the years been facing the energy crisis. However, president Obama and his administration have done their best to find a way out of the situation. The National Energy Policy adopted is meant to help in solving both short –term and long-term energy problems faced by the country. However, it is apparent that politics might hamper the process, as many influential individuals, leaders and even the citizens are arguing from a partisan point of view. It is sickening to see that many politicians use an issue as serious as this, as a mere vehicle to get them into the chambers of power. The good news is, however, that even if the legislators have become overly partisan on the issue, voters across the nation broadly support many energy-related measures (Holt, 2014, pp. paragraph 1-5). This therefore means that the efforts being put by the president will be boosted by the cooperation of the people. Recommendations The United States is a super economic power that needs to be saved from the energy crisis if it is to maintain its status quo. However, this can never be made possible without national cooperation. The efforts of finding the solution to the problem should not only be left to the government entirely, but should receive the support and contribution of every individual citizen. Every citizen of this nation has to ensure the efficient utilization of energy, by minimizing its wastage. Commitment to efficiency will go a long way to reduce energy use, hence lowering its cost. According to a report by the United Nations, United States sits at position twenty two among the most energy efficient countries (Obama & Biden, Nd, p. 1). As much as this is an impressive position, it can and should be made better. The other way to approach the situation is simply by diversifying the sources of energy, and dwelling especially in those that are environmental-friendly. This will reduce the over-reliance on imported oil, and will go a long way in reducing the cost of energy within the country, as well as conserving the environment. Reference List Baker, M. K. (2012). Before the Lights Go Out: Conquering the Energy Crisis Before it Conquers US. Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons. Carter, J. (1977, April 18). Primary Resources: Proposed Energy Policy. Retrieved November 11, 2014, from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE-25 YEARS: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/carter-energy/ Deutch, J. M. (2011). The Crisis in Energy Policy. Cambridge: Havard University Press. Deutch, J. (2014). Obamas Second Term Energy Policy is Working. The Wall Street Journal , 1. Holt, D. (2014, June 11). Energy: A Non Partisan Priority Obama and the New Congress Should Agree on. Retrieved November 11, 2014, from THE DAILY CALLER: 1. http://dailycaller.com/2014/11/06/energy-a-nonpartisan-priority-obama-and-the-new-congress-should-agree-on/ Hutchinson, A. (Nd, Nd Nd). 10 Fixes for the New Energy Crisis. Retrieved November 11, 2014, from 8. http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/10-fixes-for-the-new-energy-crisis#slide-4 Nuclear, W. (2014, November Nd). US Nuclear Power Policy. Retrieved November 11, 2014, from 6. http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-T-Z/USA--Nuclear-Power-Policy/ Obama, & Biden. (Nd, Nd Nd). NEW ENERGY FOR AMERICA. Retrieved November 11, 2014, from BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/edg/media/Obama_New_Energy_0804.pdf Yacobucci, B. D. (2014, September 18). Energy Policy: 113th Congress Issues. Retrieved November 11, 2014, from Congressional Research Service: http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42756.pdf Read More