The election season has stirred up a lot of dispute on several key issues that our country will face in upcoming years. Under President Barack Obama’s administration, a plan is being developed that seems to get less attention than say, restructuring the economy, but could actually play a great role in that very realm.
Obama’s prospective energy plan outlines a step-by-step analysis of our current situation, in respects to energy production and dependence, while acknowledging our current environmental crisis. Obama’s energy plan for America is the right course for energy development and environmental stability.
Both sides argue the subject. Oil production and consumption is either the problem or the solution. In Obama’s energy plan, it is noted that although oil production and consumption is necessary for functioning infrastructure, it is not the solution to all of our energy needs. Highlighted in the Obama Energy Agenda and in accordance with the CIA’s World Fact Book, the U.S. has around 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves, according to a January 2011 estimation. It may seem startling then that, according to the January 2011 estimation, we use around 20 percent of the world’s oil resource. Obama’s energy plan gives the impression that he understands that this is not a sustainable lifestyle, and promotes an “All of the Above Approach.” This approach would look to combine solar, wind, geothermal and other forms of energy.
The implementation of renewable energy sources is a key component of the Obama administration’s energy plan. His administration has pursued wind, solar and geothermal energy prospects that will have little to no impact on the environment with the hope of offering a long, promising abundance of energy for generations to come.
Relying on unsustainable and non-renewable resources can undoubtedly power the nation for now, but we need to understand the environmental impact and the finite supply of resources that accompanies our oil-based lifestyle. According the Council on Foreign Relations’ analysis of the president’s energy plan, “Obama has been a strong advocate of a tax credit that helps subsidize Iowa’s wind sector.”
Obama has also been noted for pushing strong opposition to the tax subsidies received by oil-producing companies. By revoking the subsidies allotted to the large-scale oil companies and redirecting them to other sustainable energy initiatives, green energy can become appealing to energy producers, and in turn could also lead to job creation.
The ways in which the American population uses existing and newly generated energy sources is just as important as their creation. Efficiency standards under the current administration have improved significantly. There are now new standards at which vehicle manufacturers must comply with by 2025, and continuously maintain through the next several years. These new efforts will make it possible for the government to hold the private sector responsible for its products and emissions.
This seems logical in our current situation. Manufacturers do not necessarily set out to destroy the environment or produce inefficient products, but competition in the marketplace encourages it. If the government decides to enforce prospective regulations and promote the emergence of sustainable energy companies through subsidies, the seemingly expensive transition from oil to ‘green energy’ can actually be made manageable.
Obama’s opponent, Mitt Romney, appears to believe that there are other solutions to our environmental and energy problems. Romney, if elected, plans on canceling the tax subsidies that fund wind energy in Iowa, claiming government aid interferes with the free market. He makes this claim despite his support for subsidizing inefficient ethanol in the Midwest. Plans of tearing up federally protected land in search of oil are also in the works pending Romney’s election.
Romney openly proclaims his support for the further development of fossil fuels, all in the name of job creation. This is where the two candidates differ vastly in their policy. Candidate Romney is willing to sacrifice the environment to create jobs, and Obama understands these two issues can help solve each other.
The manner in which Obama is handling the environment seems to be very appropriate, when realizing how severe our economic situation is. Incentivizing green technology and creating new regulations that adjust for safer production of energy in our nation may actually help our problems with the economy.
The president offers a plan, that if put in place, can offer jobs in a new energy sector, improve the future of our environment, and develop a new industry to make us competitive in the global market again.
Brian Doherty is a Collegian contributor. He can be reached at [email protected].
