2006 State of the Union Address & What it means to our Environment: A Retrospect (Part I)
Author reviews President Bush’s 2006 State of the Union address and what it means to our environment. Commentary by Sudhakar Viswanathan
During the 2006 State of the Union speech, the president set a goal of replacing more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025. The president also announced a 22 percent increase in clean energy research at the Department of Energy (DOE), in what he called the Advance Energy Initiative, which will change how we power our homes, businesses and automobiles.
President Bush also touched on subjects including zero-emission coal-fired plants, revolutionary solar and wind technologies, and clean, safe nuclear energy. Interestingly, mention of hybrid cars and hydrogen fuel cells, along with initiatives for ethanol production were also included in the president’s environmental agenda.
So what does it mean to our environment and the global economy? While the political pundits examine the hidden meanings in our Presidents words, we will stick to examining only the obvious points of his speech.
In this first part of the review, we will focus on automobiles and our dependency on oil. We will begin by understanding the numbers to better comprehend what these initiatives really mean, followed by probing the research initiatives and their feasibility to obtain a realistic feel of what to expect in the years to come.
The numbers:
The US imports over 420 million barrels of crude oil from 90 different countries, the leading ones being Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, oil from the Persian Gulf account for less than 17 percent of all imports. The plan is to reduce this number by 75 percent by incorporating technologies like hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell cars, but is it necessary? Persian Gulf oil reduction will result in a net decrease of less than 12.5 percent over the next 19 years, i.e. less than 0.7 percent reduction per year. According to reports from the US Department of Energy (US DOE) and US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), savings in excess of 20 percent can easily be achieved using efficient driving tips like observing speed limits, carrying limited weight as cargo, avoiding excess idling, using cruise control (where available), the use of overdrive gears, timely service of vehicle engines, replacing air filters (when needed) and keeping the tires inflated as recommended by vehicle manufacturers. With those measures being followed, the US will not just be able to reduce the dependency of oil from the Persian Gulf, but can totally eliminate imports from the region.
Analysis:
We start by examining the state of the industry, which for most parts influence the development and effective implementation of clean energy systems. Currently, the industry lacks consensus on the area of research that makes the most sense, and has stretched research funding real thin. For example, automakers are immersed in researching technologies like hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell, which may provide valuable advancements to the future of car making, but are clear diversions from simple, common sense solutions like developing smaller cars with smaller engines, reducing the weight of the vehicle by using more plastic, and stopping the marketing of SUVs as safer vehicles. Hybrids may save fossil fuel consumption, but require large batteries, which are toxic and hazardous when not disposed of safely. Hydrogen fuel cells cars are mobile bombs, how do you reinforce the fuel chambers and prevent it from exploding during an accident? As for the cost and impact of manufacturing these cars- no different from an average no gimmick car.
So instead of going out and spending your tax returns on an expensive hybrid, get a $19.99 oil change and save our planet.
Additional Resources:
*On August 8th 2005 the president signed into law the first national energy plan. The energy bill is available at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov
*A brief review of this bill is available on our website
*More gas saving tips can be found at http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drive.shtml
Partial text from the 2006 State of Union speech January 31st 2006
“Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. Here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world. The best way to break this addiction is through technology. Since 2001, we have spent nearly 10 billion dollars to develop cleaner, cheaper, more reliable alternative energy sources—and we are on the threshold of incredible advances. So tonight, I announce the Advanced Energy Initiative—a 22-percent increase in clean-energy research at the Department of Energy, to push for breakthroughs in two vital areas. To change how we power our homes and offices, we will invest more in zero-emission coal-fired plants revolutionary solar and wind technologies and clean, safe nuclear energy.We must also change how we power our automobiles. We will increase our research in better batteries for hybrid and electric cars, and in pollution-free cars that run on hydrogen. We will also fund additional research in cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol, not just from corn but from wood chips, stalks, or switch grass. Our goal is to make this new kind of ethanol practical and competitive within six years. Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025. By applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment … move beyond a petroleum-based economy … and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past.”Full text can be obtained by visiting http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2006/index.htmlFull text can be obtained by visiting
Original post by Moderator