Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

The Senate Republican Conference met with several witnesses to discuss the solution to gaining “more American energy” and achieving “clean energy independence.” A major focus of the discussion was Sen. Lamar Alexander’s (R-Tenn.) “New Manhattan Project” in which he outlines seven steps or “Grand Challenges” which he considers essential to achieving this goal in the next five years. The Grand Challenges include making plug-in electric vehicles commonplace, making carbon capture a reality for coal-burning power plants, achieving cost-competitive solar power, creating safe storage for nuclear waste, developing cost-competitive biofuels, constructing environmentally-friendly buildings, and providing fusion energy.

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) highlighted that even if the U.S. were to keep its fossil fuel emissions level without decreasing them, the increase in demand will grow by 30 percent in the next 20 to 30 years. He also emphasized that even if the U.S. met its global warming goals, the impact worldwide would be very low. Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) said the U.S. needs to “get real” about its energy future and that the situation is a basic lesson in “Economics 101.” He said the country needs to increase supply and decrease demand by tapping into U.S. domestic oil reserves and proliferation of more fuel-efficient vehicles. All the senators reiterated that there need not be a choice between energy and the environment, but that both goals can be achieved.

Dr. Rhone Resch, President of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said that solar technology is available but a significant market for it does not exist in the U.S. Dr. Scott W. Tinker, Director of the Bureau of Economic Geology, said that one-third of U.S. oil supply is imported, which makes energy independence difficult to achieve.