Identify at Least Three Major Concerns Regarding US Energy Policy. What Are Our Vulnerabilities and Challenges?
As the world’s need for energy continues to grow, the US government has to formulate a comprehensive strategy to secure energy resources. There are several concerns of the energy policy in the United States that should be of the highest priority.
The first concern, which should be taken into consideration, affects the administration of the SPR, which is short for Strategic Petroleum Reserve. In addition, chargeless market solutions should be completed. Another important issue is to increase prices for energy products. This could be done, however, as long as the legitimate supply and returns of interest are not assimilated with policy agreements.
The last but not the least is a demand for a reform of an energy policy. It is caused by the fact that short-term control actions are able to lessen immediate impediments or even reinforce alertness for emergencies. Nevertheless, power factories require months or all the more, years to build, license and accommodate; the same goes for laying advanced pipelines, enlarging refineries, training new experienced engineers and employees and establishing new oil and gas ranges. Besides, renewed international agreements and concessions have to be enacted.
The renewed energy policy of the United States could have the most perceptible long-term impact on the people of the country. Since re-elections of 2012, some substantial steps towards applying the reform against greenhouse gas emissions have been taken. It is predicted for the elections of 2016 the Republicans will aim to shift the energy policy of USA solidly to the right side. As long as the prices for gas and oil are rebounding to an unstable status, a capability of a dispute will only advance towards the major policy decisions.
However, according to Conor O’Sullivan, “the biggest obstacle to making these policies a reality will come in the form of a familiar foe for a Democratic president, a Republican majority in Congress.” (par 3). The strong need for a flourishing and green economy funded by government grants along with the admission of the Republican party has become an issue of paramount importance.
Discuss the Merits and Risks Associated with One Energy Policy Reform
Supposedly, the next energy policy reform will implement the application of renewable resources; those are water and solar energy. One of the greatest benefits of this type of resource is that they do not take hundreds of years to reinvigorate, not alike non-renewable sources of energy.
The consumption of the fossil fuels and its demand has been under close examination since the first oil crisis in the 1970s. It was the time when the government of the United States acknowledged its dependency on the economy of Middle East countries. Moreover, the supply, consumption and burning of oil resources lead to a climate change and global warming. Since the middle of the 20th century, there has been an enormous increase in the greenhouse effect due to human influence. “Destruction of forests, burning of fossil fuels and environmental pollution are the main reasons behind the greenhouse effect that is currently influencing the climate” (Oreskes, 2004).
In my opinion, if the energy policy reform establishes the use of renewable resources, two major problems will be resolved. Firstly, with the wind and solar power there will be no dependency on the resources of other countries. Secondly, the emissions of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere will be reduced, which will affect the climate and levels of pollution significantly.
Reference List
Oreskes, N. (2004). The scientific consensus on climate change. Science 3, 306(5702), 1686-1690.
O’Sullivan, C. (2014). US energy policy taking dramatic shift to the right.