Strategic energy policy : challenges for the 21st century : report of an independent task force cosponsored by the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy of Rice University and the Council on Foreign Relations

There Could Be More Californias In America's Future Unless The U.s. Government Adopts A Long-term, Comprehensive Energy Policy Now, According To An Independent Task Force Report Cosponsored By The James A. Baker Iii Institute For Public Policy Of Rice University In Houston And The Council On Foreign Relations. Given The Capital-intensive Nature Of The Energy Industry, Such Energy Woes Could Worsen Before They Get Better, The Study Notes. Americans Should Therefore Brace Themselves For More California-style Electricity Problems And Seasonal Shortfalls Of Natural Gas And Heating Fuels, As Well As Occasional Spikes In Regional Gasoline Prices. The Experts Note, However, That The Situation Is Not A Sign That The World Is Running Out Of Energy Resources. Rather, The Conditions Are Caused By Chronic Under-investment And Soaring Energy Use. The Report, Signed By Fifty-one Experts With Widely Different Backgrounds And Perspectives On The Problem, Argues That President G.w. Bush Has An Opportunity To Begin Educating The Public About This Reality And To Start Building A Broad Base Of Popular Support For The Hard Policy Choices Ahead. It Warns That The United States Now Faces The Consequences Of Not Having Had An Energy Policy Over The Last Several Decades. The Report Of The Task Force, Chaired By Edward L. Morse, A Widely Recognized Authority On Energy At Hess Energy, And Assisted By Amy Myers Jaffe Of The Baker Institute, Concludes That There Are No Overnight Solutions To The Energy Supply And Infrastructure Bottlenecks Facing The Nation And The World. The Task Force Report Warns That What Lies Ahead Are Agonizing Policy Tradeoffs Between Legitimate And Competing Interests. Among Those Tradeoffs, The Report States, Is Whether Americans Are Willing To Compromise Their Hunger For Cheap Energy To Satisfy Their Increasing Demand For Cleaner Energy And A Cleaner Environment. Findings -- Strategic Policy Choices -- Strategy -- Recommendations -- Action Plan -- Additional Views -- Dissenting Views -- Task Force Members -- Task Force Observers. Edward L. Morse, Chair ; Amy Meyers Jaffe, Project Director. For many decades the United States has been able to avoid adopting a comprehensive energy security policy. Today, however, the United States faces the prospect of unprecedented energy price volatility and recurrent shortages of electricity and other energy supplies. As a result, energy policy is now one of the most compelling requirements of public policy. A comprehensive national energy security policy is necessary to assure continued improvement in U.S. living standards in the 21st century.The world has shifted from a situation of sustained surplus capacities to one of capacity limits, and complacency has shackled the United States as a prisoner of the energy dilemma. Reacting to each crisis as it appears on the horizon, the United States has failed to promote a long-range strategic policy. As a result, the country is now vulnerable to oil supply disruptions even worse than those of the 1970s and to the risks that supply disruptions and price volatility can have on domestic industry.The United States faces a major challenge to create a coherent and comprehensive energy policy that accommodates and coordinates, where possible, domestic and foreign policy priorities and objectives in an effective manner. In this context, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy and the Council on Foreign Relations cosponsored an Independent Task Force to contribute to the goal of defining a strategic U.S. energy policy. The published report of this Task Force defines the energy problems facing the United States and outlines findings and recommendations for the creation of a strategic energy initiative. The Task Force Report balances rising world energy requirements, energy infrastructure constraints, environmental concerns, and domestic energy use challenges in a pragmatic way and discusses in detail options and trade-offs for near-term policy actions and long-term initiatives.The Task Force was chaired by Dr. Edward L. Morse, a leading expert and commentator in the energy field, and the project was directed by well-known energy writer and specialist Amy Myers Jaffe, the Baker Institute's senior energy adviser. Its distinguished members included widely respected scholars, legal analysts, corporate leaders in the energy sector, former government officials and policymakers, environmental impact experts, consumer rights advocates, media members, and international experts in the energy field. Observers included congressional leaders, energy industry leaders, and academic experts. The United States faces a major challenge today to create a coherent and comprehensive energy policy that accommodates and coordinates, where possible, domestic and foreign policy priorities and objectives in an effective manner. In this context, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy and the Council on Foreign Relations cosponsored an independent Task Force to define a U.S. strategic national energy policy.The published report of this Task Force, Strategic Energy Challenges for the 21st Century, defines the energy problems facing the United States today and outlines findings and recommendations for the creation of a strategic energy initiative. The Task Force Report balances rising world energy requirements, energy infrastructure constraints, environmental concerns, and domestic energy use challenges in a pragmatic way and discusses options and trade-offs for near term policy actions and long-term initiatives.Cosponsored by James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy or Rice University and The Council on Foreign Relations. Content: Findings -- Strategic Policy Choices -- Strategy -- Recommendations -- Action Plan -- Additional Views -- Dissenting Views -- Task Force Members -- Task Force Observers. Abstract: The US faces a major challenge: to create a coherent and comprehensive energy policy that accommodates and coordinates domestic and foreign policy priorities and objectives in an effective manner. This report defines the energy problems facing the US and outlines findings and recommendations. � Read more...