Celebrating Energy Independence

Here's an op-ed piece from our CEO and president, Steve Miller:

In 1776, 233 years ago, a new generation of Americans declared themselves independent of the tyranny of taxation without representation. Last year, with gasoline prices at or above $4 a gallon, Americans were pledging to declare their freedom of imported energy. But this year, with gasoline at about $3 per gallon (who thought we’d see that as good news?), the call for energy independence doesn’t feel quite as strong.

But it should. America cannot have a secure future as long as we are significantly dependent on others for the resources that fuel our economy and our way of life.

Energy independence first entered the public policy debate in a meaningful way during the 1970s when an oil embargo paralyzed our country. That event forced us to reexamine the fuels we used and where they came from. While a lot of talk has taken place about the need to generate our energy from domestic fuels, more has been said than done with one exception — electricity that increasingly powers our economy.

The good news is that, for the most part, the fuels we use to generate electricity in the U.S. are produced right here at home. About half of the electricity Americans depend upon each day to run our businesses and keep our homes comfortable, is provided by coal. It is often said that America is the Saudi Arabia of coal, but that is a dramatic understatement. According to the EIA (Energy Information Administration) the U.S. has more energy in the form of coal than the entire Middle East has oil – more than a 200-year supply at current consumption levels. Electricity produced from coal is an energy bargain – one-third the cost of other fuels. And using coal means high-skilled and well-paying jobs for American workers — as opposed to exporting U.S. jobs.

As with every other fuel resource, coal has its challenges. Concerns about the growing use of coal center mainly on emissions from coal-based power plants. However, American ingenuity is always proving that there is not an environmental challenge facing this industry that technology can’t solve. We’ve already successfully deployed technologies that have dramatically reduced emissions currently regulated under the federal Clean Air Act. Now the coal-fueled electricity industry is joining with the federal government to bring a new generation of advanced clean coal technologies to the marketplace that will effectively and affordably reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Coal’s role as America’s most abundant domestic fuel resource is vital because the percentage of total U.S. energy consumption coming from electricity has also increased. That’s why we must avoid policies that would reduce the use of coal for generating electricity and make us more reliant on imported energy resources.

Additionally, coal presents the opportunity to reduce our reliance on foreign oil by using electricity to power our cars and trucks. In the longer term, coal may also prove to be an abundant source of hydrogen, should hydrogen become a significant component of our energy resources.

The bottom line is this: greater energy independence for America is not possible in the foreseeable future without a growing role for coal. So instead of just talking about America being more energy independent, we can do something about it. We can celebrate energy independence 365 days a year by supporting public policies that recognize the important role that American coal will play in fueling our nation’s energy future.

Comments

[Leaha]

I belive you are right on the issues of the american useage of coal in America. Even though I am just a kid I belive everyone can make a diference in the coal production process.