| Abraham's World of Energy | |
|
Gazing into his solar-powered, recycled crystal ball, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham describes his vision for the future world of energy.
"I would like to describe a different world – a more optimistic world – in which energy is seen as the fuel of our survival and success, rather than the cause of our demise," Abraham told the San Francisco Bay Area Council on July 19, 2001.
Secretary Abraham went on to describe his Energy Department's vision and plan for America's energy future:
"We foresee a world of cleaner, smaller and more efficient units of power generation. We foresee more individual choice, more competition, and a closer approximation of a true market for energy in America. And we foresee increased reliability, increased supply, and lower prices. To achieve our vision of greater individual choice, our Plan embraces exploring the idea of distributed energy. The concept of distributed energy is broad, but at its essence it means moving from our almost exclusive reliance on big power plants toward smaller sources of power . . . toward a day when consumers can respond to price signals . . . toward smarter factories, buildings and homes. Distributed energy means moving away from a transmission system in which power only flows one way – from a plant to your home – and, instead, contemplates a two-way electricity grid where homes or businesses can sell their surplus power back to the grid."
"More individual choice . . . Reliable and affordable electricity to power our homes and businesses . . . Cleaner sources of energy . . . Dramatic gains in energy efficiency . . . Less dependence on foreign energy sources. That is the vision that President Bush has presented the American people," added the Secretary.
Complimenting California for its long established efforts to conserve while increasing its use of renewable energy sources, Secretary Abraham noted that the state was far from alone in its struggle to keep up with growing demands for energy.
"California is not alone in facing rapidly increasing demand for energy and a relatively slow growth in energy supply," stated Abraham. "Nor is California the only place where the energy infrastructure is inadequate."
Urging that all states should learn from California's experience, the Secretary stated, "If the only conclusion is that Herculean conservation efforts, a mild summer, and price mitigation can avert excessive blackouts, it would be most unfortunate."
According to Energy Department statistics, only 10 out of 50 US states produce more energy annually than they consume. [See: The Heart of the Energy Crisis]
"The numbers explicitly tell us about our national energy challenges," said Abraham. "While our demand for oil is expected to increase by 1/3 over the next two decades, we produce 39 percent less oil than we did in 1970, and that downward trend is sure to continue unless we change course."
Noting that while gasoline prices had stabilized and a cooler-than-expected summer had so far spared the West from blackouts, Secretary Abraham warned that the energy crisis remained a serious threat to America's future. "I hope that as we overcome California's energy problems, the nation receives a wakeup call and recognizes that the status quo is leading us into a serious national energy supply crisis over the next twenty years," he said.
