A Real Energy Answer In Our Backyard
by Jody Gibson

For anyone perusing the Sunday, July 17th Houston Chronicle, he or she might have noticed an article in the Business section entitled “An Energy Answer In Our Backyard.” Unfortunately, the title is misleading, which was obvious to anyone who kept reading.

Lynn Cook’s article details the exploits of Corby Robertson Jr., “grandson of legendary Texas wildcatter Hugh Roy Cullen.” Robertson is chairman and CEO of Houston-based Natural Resource Partners, a company whose focus is the continual acquisition of coal properties across the U.S. Aside from the occasional mention that coal is “dirty,” Cook’s article is really about how investors should get a piece of Robertson’s lucrative pie, offered on the New York Stock exchange since 2002.

Glaringly absent is the explanation of how coal—of all things—is supposed to be the so-called energy answer. Cook explains that the U.S. has a 250-year supply of untapped coal, which is supposedly 30 times more than our oil or natural gas reserves. The problem, however, is that oil is used for transportation and direct heating, while coal is used for generating electricity. In other words, increasing our consumption of coal is not going to decrease our consumption of oil, unless Ford and Chevrolet introduce a new line of coal-fired SUV’s.

The fact that the domestic supply of oil and natural gas is heavily depleted means that we will continue to depend on foreign energy, especially as demand increases. Therefore, to say that coal is an energy answer in our backyard is doubly misleading: not only will we still use oil, we will use foreign oil. This will be the case if we maintain the business-as-usual, Corby Robertson approach.

In order to find a real energy answer, we have to shift our thinking from short-term to long-term. Businesses do not like thinking long-term because there is a prevailing assumption that something will save them somewhere down the line (e.g., a technological breakthrough). If that sounds vague, it probably is, and this should be a red flag.

There is no reason for the richest country in the world to live by blind faith. We have the intelligence and the resources to guide us through a more predictable and sustainable path. It seems the only missing ingredient is desire.

One country that has the desire is Germany. In recent years, they have become the global leader in wind and solar energy. For example, more than 20% of their electricity is derived from wind alone, which is also true of Denmark and Spain. Compare this to the U.S., where less than 1% of the electricity is derived from wind; rather, we rely on coal for 51%—the majority—of our power. This is especially confounding since only one-third of the heat generated by burning coal ends up as useful electricity. To read more about coal, including its penchant for pollution, visit the Union of Concerned Scientists’ website.

Wind energy in the U.S. is an extremely viable option. Most estimates indicate that it could be as cheap as, or cheaper than, the electricity offered by conventional power companies today. Imagine if wind replaced coal—eliminating its air emissions, its various forms of water pollution, its fuel for mining and transportation, and its destruction of the landscape (particularly mountaintop removal). Fortunately for Houston residents, we can do something about it: switch to Green Mountain and you will make a finite contribution to the growing demand for a cleaner environment.

To match that 20% mark set by Germany, the U.S. would need to set aside for wind production 0.6% of the land in the lower 48 states. Undoubtedly, this is a lot of space. Fortunately, wind turbines do not have to compromise pre-existing uses of the land, and constructing turbines on agricultural fields would minimize any impact. Just think that North Dakota is capable of supplying 33% of the U.S. electricity demand, by wind alone!

Inevitably, some will argue that matching Germany’s accomplishment would be detrimental to the U.S. economy. In fact, this is simply untrue. According to the Energy Information Administration, as of 2002 Germany was producing twice as much domestic product as the U.S. per unit energy consumed. It sounds like renewable energy is both good for the environment and good for the economy.

While renewable energy can slowly phase out our use of coal and nuclear power, we are still left with the problem of fuel for transportation. Indeed, this is what concerns most people today: the instability of oil prices and our inextricable involvement with the Middle East. An obvious solution is to make only electric cars and trucks, but this would require much more electric power generation. This is possible in the distant future, but what can we do now?

Until massive amounts of sunlight are collected in space and beamed back to earth, or until a sustainable biological production of hydrogen gas is developed, we can practice the simple duties of conservation and recycling. For example, instead of driving to and from the office in an SUV, it would be better to use a compact car, and even better still to use a bike. Certainly, this is one way to combat both the energy crisis and the obesity epidemic.

If such a change is not an option, consider fuel recycling. Specifically, anyone who owns a diesel car or truck can get it retrofitted to run on vegetable oil—that’s right, the same stuff used for deep-frying potatoes and corn chips. The benefit of this approach is that no net carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere, and the fuel costs nothing if it is obtained from restaurants. Actually, since many restaurants pay to have waste vegetable oil removed from their premises, someone can profit by fueling up! This requires filtering the oil of particulates before fueling, which is a small price to pay for being completely independent of petroleum oil.

Clearly, there are many ways to proceed other than business-as-usual. If you are concerned only with selfish short-term gains, you will probably shun the ideas put forth here. If, on the other hand, you want to make a difference for the environment, you are a long-term thinker, and you care about future generations, then the energy answer truly is in our backyard.