A Declaration of Energy Independence How Freedom from Foreign Oil Can Improve National Security, Our Economy, and the Environment

by Hakes, Jay

• ISBN13: 9781119112518
• ISBN10: 1119112516
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2015-07-20
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

If you’ve wondered about how America can break links between oil consumption, terrorism, and the war in Iraq, A Declaration of Energy Independence: How Freedom from Foreign Oil Can Improve National Security, Our Economy, and the Environment will show you how our country can gain energy independence and solve its energy crisis. Written by a top energy expert, this book outlines seven economically and politically viable ways America can more efficiently use and produce energy. Find out how carbon fuels negatively impact our lives and understand the political framework of the energy crisis.

Author Biography

Jay Hakes was head of the Energy Information Administration at the U.S. Department of Energy from 1993 to 2000, where he oversaw the collec-tion and dissemination of America's official energy data and analysis. He has given testimony before congressional committees on more than twenty-five occasions and is currently head of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta.

Table of Contents

Introduction : Why Energy Independence Matters More Than Iraq 1

PART ONE: The Problem of America’s Energy Dependence 11

Chapter 1: America’s Plunge into Reliance on Foreign Oil 13

Chapter 2: A Forgotten Victory Gives Hope: How America Solved Its Last Energy Crisis and Cut Oil Imports in Half 41

Chapter 3: Lapsing Back into Oil Addiction: Retreating from Battle under Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Bush 71

Chapter 4: Blood and Treasure: The Heavy Cost of Dependence on Middle East Oil 89

Chapter 5: Fossil Fuels and Global Warming: A Dangerous Experiment with the Planet 103

Chapter 6: The Magic and Limits of Market-Based Solutions 121

Chapter 7: Seeing through the Ideological Blinders (of the Right and the Left) 133

PART TWO: Seven Economically and Politically Viable Paths to Energy Independence 143

Chapter 8: Solution One: Store Massive Emergency Reserves 145

Chapter 9: Solution Two: Drive the Car of the Future 157

Chapter 10: Solution Three: Bring Alternative Fuels to Market 173

Chapter 11: Solution Four: Plug into an Electric Future 181

Chapter 12: Solution Five: Adopt Energy Taxes Liberals and Conservatives Can Like 191

Chapter 13: Solution Six: Make Energy Conservation a Patriotic Duty 203

Chapter 14: Solution Seven: Throw Some “Hail Marys” 213

PART THREE: Securing Our National Future 221

Chapter 15: What We Need from National Leaders (and from Voters) 223

Acknowledgments 231

Notes 233

Index 243