Energy Use in the United States

A pretty interesting study was recently released by the AP NORC Center on Public Affairs on energy use in the United States.  I found the results staggering and, frankly, a little unnerving. This report is "an in-depth and up- to-the-minute look at how the American public feels about where responsibility for the nation’s energy problems lies, and who holds responsibility for addressing them" (Tompson).  This survey that the AP NORC conducted was on more than 1000 adults across the country to get a range of views on energy issues in America.  

The first section of the survey discusses where the public thinks that the responsibility should lie as it relates to energy savings.  Many of those surveyed believe that the true responsibility lies with the government and the energy industry.  64% also believe that a major reason that energy prices are what they are is because there is such a high demand of energy and not many people are willing to reduce their intake.  I believe that this is one of the biggest issues in the American Energy industry (Tompson).  

Statistically speaking, Democrats are more aware of energy issues, and support alternative energy, than Republicans. It is no secret and it has been this way for decades.  A major issue that our nation faces, as well as the entire world, is decreasing levels of fossil fuels.  The entire globe primarily runs off of fossil fuels, which include oil, natural gas and coal.  Since the Industrial Revolution beganin the 1800's, we have almost depleted all of the world's oil reserves. Studies have shown (and it is a globally accepted consensus) that by 2013-2020, world oil production will peak (Although the EIA estimates it to peak between 2031-2068 [Caruso]).  Oxford University came out with a study predicting that oil demands will surpass oil supply in 2015 (OPEC). With an average of 25 billion barrels extracted each year, and with close to 990 billion barrels of oil still left, experts believe that we have 40 years until ALL oil deposits are depleted world wide.  

With that being said, in the past decade, global extraction rates have risen exponentially.  Many geophysicists, and other scientists, believe that within the next decade, we could see rises to 30-35 billion barrels of oil extracted each year, if not more.  That drastically reduces the estimated oil depletion year from around 2057 (the accepted year), to sometime sooner.  With many U.S. politicians, such as Mitt Romney, advocating for more oil production and consumption in the United States, the expected rates for oil consumption are set to increase.  The EIA (US Energy Information Administration) expects US consumption to rise from 18.87 million barrels per day in 2011 to 18.96 million barrels per day in 2012 and to 19.06 million barrels per day in 2013 (EIA2).  It may not seem like a lot, but over the course of a year, that is close to a 100,000,000-barrel increase by 2013.  The EIA also believe that these numbers could be well shy of the actual numbers during those years. 

Many people will say, "Who cares, that’s a long time from now."  Not really.  While some of our parents, and surely our grandparents, will not be here, the majority of people who are now 1 year old to 40, or even 50, years old will be.  Our environment is very close to "The Point of No Return".  Our climate is shifting more rapidly than ever.  We are seeing extreme changes in air temperatureand sea temperature, glacial melting like we have never experienced and rises in sea level which is threatening many low lying island nations as well as nations such as the Netherlands.  

I hate being informal and unorthodox, but to those that think that climate change is a hoax (cough, cough, Rick Santorum and many Republicans in our government), do you honestly believe that, or are your political identities and beliefs making you say such things?  Romney has stated that he believes oil is America's future.  Interesting.  His "reason" is because it will create jobs.  True; boosting oil production in America will create jobs.  Creating the Keystone XL Pipeline will create jobs (which he said he will do on Day 1 if elected in November).  However, increased oil production, as well as the Keystone XL Pipeline, could be some of the worst things to happen in this country and to the global climate.  The Republican Party supports Big Oil because they are usually paid to support it.  I am sure there are plenty of politicians who will say that increasing oil consumption in the US will create environmental issues and health issues.  But each year, the Koch Brothers and Big Oil spend billions of dollars lobbying for increased oil production in the US.  These companies are the ones who are to blame for high gas prices, not the government, and in some ways, not President Obama.  They are willingly keeping prices higher than they have to be; they are not being forced to raise prices.  Supply isn't low forcing them to keep prices high, no; supply is there, there is still plenty of oil, they are keeping prices high because demand is higher than ever and they know that they will continue to make record profits off of it.  Highway robbery and corruption do not come close to the appropriate description of what is happening to Americans each day.  

Now, with that being said, Americans can't walk away from this with no blame either.  Americans are some of the most ignorant and stubborn people on the earth.  There I said it.  I love America, but I have been fortunate enough to talk to people from all over the world and hear what they think about our country and its people.  The things they say are not out of jealousy, they are said because they are true.  Most of the world is becoming more environmentally friendly, not because they have to, but because they want to.  People realize that humans are the primary source for the rapid increase in climate change over the past 150 years and are now looking to change their ways in an attempt to reverse the impact that we have had on our planet.  This is happening almost everywhere (in developed countries) except in America.  Yes, we may have had some laws that show we want a cleaner environment - such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, CERCLA, NEPA, etc - but they only affect our nation.  Most nations are working in an international effort while we sit on the sidelines.  There have been recent international talks to lower CO2 emissions, but the US does not want to be a part of it, they want to make their own laws different from everyone else, which are also not as effective as every other nation because once again, Big Oil is getting in the way.  If we were to impose the same international laws that many in the EU and Asia are imposing, it could potentially destroy Big Oil, or at least make their profits go from $400 billion a year to $200 billion a year, such a shame.  But like I said, Americans are stubborn; they do not want to be like everyone else, THIS IS AMERICA!  We are living the American Dream; "I want 5 or more cars that get 10 miles per gallon", "I want yachts", "I want this", "I want that."  That is what America has come to - The Land of Capitalism: Show Your Money Off and F@&k the Environment (once again, sorry for being informal, but it is true).  The United States, and similar countries that act like us (Russia and China), will soon not be able to support the life that many now live.  Once oil is gone, those cars and boats will be obsolete.  They sure as hell can't run on natural gas or coal so what will people do then?  

Coal isn't the future, look at China.  In 2008, every Olympian had to wear air filters over their mouths the entire time they were there, except when they were not competing.  That certainly will not be accepted in America, although there are many cities in the US that are close to that level of pollution, smog and CO2 levels.  I think that it is funny how many energy companies are advertising for "Clean Coal", that’s about as funny as McDonalds "Healthy Menu".  There is no such thing as burning clean coal.  There is "cleaner" burning coal than traditional coal, but it is still horrible for the environment and human health and will most likely be shot down by clauses in the Clean Air Act directed at healthy levels of CO2 in the air.  If the United States were to switch the main source of energy from oil -once it is gone- to coal, we will set out air and health back to the time of the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.  We will be living in early 1900 Pittsburgh-esque cities where the sky's will be black and we will be breathing in large amounts of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, as well as other harmful chemicals, from the burning of coal.  


The big thing now that many in our government are pushing for is Natural Gas.  Within the last five years, the discovery of the Marcellus Shale natural gas deposits have sent energy corporations in a frenzy to figure out how to acquire the gas.  This deposit covers the most of the Appalachian region of the United States and is said to have close to 100 years worth of natural gas stored in it.  The problem though, is how to acquire it.  The most recent method is through Hydraulic Fracturing; this is the process of extracting gas from the ground by pumping freshwater, mixed with over 600 chemicals to break apart the ground, which then releases the gas for extraction.  Unfortunately, the issue here is the part about the water being mixed with over 600 chemicals; 632 to be exact.  Scientists and doctors have discovered that of the chemicals used, close to 25% can cause cancer (Colborn).  Another issue is that in some regions where Hydraulic Fracturing, or Fracking as it is known, is being practiced, many of these chemicals are finding their way into local water sources, which are being consumed by the citizens living in that area.  Many states are now cracking down on Fracking; in fact Vermont recently banned the process all together.  As more research is done on the issue, we may see more states ban Fracking as studies are conducted on the health issues associated with it.  Now, the main states, which will be the focus of the Fracking debate, due to the amount of gas deposits in those respective states, are Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia.  This is not something that environmentalists want to see. Pennsylvania and West Virginia are currently two of the United States leading coal producers and are more than willing to add the natural gasindustry to their state economies.  

But like Oil, and all fossil fuels, natural gas will eventually run out.  The 100 year estimate is the best-case-scenario meaning that this number is the total of all POTENTIAL;t here have been some estimates that put the level of natural gas deposits in the US at only 11 years worth of gas (based on the proven deposits), hardly enough of an estimate to go through the trouble of acquiring it and putting human health at risk.  What do we do after that though?  What will America and the world do when ALL fossil fuels are depleted?  Believe me, this is no fantasy, it will happen and it is going to happen much sooner than what some think.  

There is only one solution to this, besides going to war for resources, which will also most likely happen within the next 50 years.  But the solution is simple: Clean Alternative Energy.  When some read that line, I'm sure there will be a few "Whoa, that’s for you green freaks."  Wrong, that is what most of the world is in the process of transitioning to.  It took millions and millions of years for the natural world to produce the fossil fuels that we are so close to using up and once that is done, this is the only type of energy that we will have on planet Earth for the years to come.  That means solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, bio-fuels, nuclear and ocean energy.  Sooner or later, we will all be forced to change our ways and the way we currently live life. There will be uproar, protest and disgust, but it is our own fault.  I was once told, "when you point your finger at someone, you have four pointed right back at you."  We mustn't wait until 100 or so years down the road, when we have no sources of energy, to change our ways, we must change now.  I will be the first one to admit that I didn't want to do it.  I used to have a Ford F-150 that got 7 mile per gallon; I thought I was the cool guy riding in this massive vehicle that was not only eating my wallet, but also destroying the environment.  When my international friends came to visit, they would see my truck and say that "it was the biggest personal vehicle they had ever seen” That all changed when they saw aFord F-250 on the road and again when it was a Ford F-350 - All cars that we can own if we want to.  But his comments made me think, we are one of the only countries in the world with people who own commodities such as the massive vehicles, yachts and other energy eating machines.  


We currently have the ability and technology to transition our current coal-burning power plants, oil refineries and natural gas plants into power plants outfitted to handle these alternative energy sources.  Many believe that completely transitioning to alternative energy will cause job loses; I believe it is the exact opposite.  We will still need people working at each power plant, jobs will not be lost there.  Jobs will actually be created during this transitioning period, and continuously as the years go on.  The demand will be extremely high for workers to not only create and install the products and machinery to acquire energy, but to also operate and maintain the windmills, solar panels, etc.  I believe that hundreds of thousands, if not millions of jobs, could be created if our nation turned onto alternative energy.  It is not just steel workers and mechanics, but physicists, engineers, electricians, and more, that will be needed.  The United States will most likely need a larger amount of alternative energy plants around the country meaning more workers than there currently are.  This could solve the "Job Crisis" that our nation currently faces.  

Americans frown upon and make fun of those with the small cars - the Prius' and Chevy Volt's - because it isn't American.  Well soon enough, those people who own those cars are going to be laughing at the "Real American's" when they can afford to drive, when there is almost no oil to produce gasoline, and when they can drive because they purchased a Chevy Volt (which can run off of electricity) at a reasonable price and finally, before electric vehicles are the only cars being sold, most likely at prices double of the current Volt prices due to high demand. What we see as the American Dream now, the ability to buy all of these lavish items, will soon be a memory of the past.  We are seeing this in Europe, where cars are becoming smaller, more fuel-efficient and are capable of running on sources other than gasoline.  High gas prices are due to American's demand and the manipulative nature of the Big Oil Industry. America and Americans must become more accepting of the fact that alternative energy is our future, NOT OIL like Romney and other Republicans might say.  The fact of the matter is that Americans must decrease energy consumption and invest in alternative energies now, before prices keep rising and we eventually have no fossil fuels left to use.  It will be a much easier transition for all of us if we voluntarily change, rather than being forced to change.  

I really hope that after reading this,you truly think about the future of America, of the environment and most importantly of your families’ future generations.  While you may not be here, they certainly will and they will be the ones dealing with the burden of the future of the worlds energy issues, the ones fighting wars over oil, gas and coal and the ones who may not survive because there is no energy left to produce food, or clean the water and air.  

Caruso, Guy. "EIA." When Will World Oil Production Peak?. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June

2012. <www.eia.gov/neic/speeches/caruso061305.pdf>.

Colborn, Theo, Carol Kwiatkowski, Kim Schultz, and Mary Bachran. "Natural Gas

Operations from a Public Health Perspective." Human & Ecological Risk Assessment 17.5 (2011): 1039-1056. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Apr. 2012.

EIA. "EIA." Short-Term Energy Outlook. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2012. <www.marcon.com/library/articles/2012/PDF_Articles/Short%20Term%20Energy.pdf>.

OPEC. "OPEC." World Oil Outlook 2011. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2012. <www.opec.org/opec_web/static_files_project/media/downloads/publications/WOO_2011.pdf>.

Tompson, T., J. Benz, J.  Broz, M.  Kozey, J.  Agiesta, and D.  Junius. "Energy Use in the

United States." AP NORC. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2012.

<www.apnorc.org/Common/pdfs/AP-NORC-Energy-Report.pdf>.