The U.S. Energy Crisis
Abstract
I am Dr. Robert Hirsch, a Member of the Board of the Annapolis Center for Science Based Public Policy, a non-partisan, not-for-profit study group. I am also Chairman of the Board on Energy and Environmental Systems at the National Academies and a Senior Energy Analyst at RAND. My experience is in energy technology management and analysis in both government and industry in many areas of energy technology. The views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent positions of my three affiliations. My messages to you today are as follows: 1. We are experiencing a new kind of U.S. energy crisis that has only begun, and we need to take decisive action. 2. There is no silver bullet to solve our problems. 3. The fundamental challenge that we face is balance, balance, and balance. Why do I call this a new kind of energy crisis? It's because the problems are more complicated than an oil embargo or a Gulf war. Our challenges involve many different aspects of our very complex U.S. energy infrastructure. Furthermore, I believe that our problems will take upwards of a decade or more to fix. Why so long? Because the problems are large in number, scale, and cost, and because we are simultaneously working to reduce some of the remaining environmental, health and safety risks associated with our energy system.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA391938
Entities
People
- Robert Hirsch
Organizations
- RAND Corporation