Rational Energy Policy

The Evergreen Forum

CAN WE HAVE A RATIONAL ENERGY POLICY

IN THE UNITED STATES?

How can we, as individuals, lower our use of petroleum? We must, if the U.S. population collectively is to do so. The course will focus on reducing the consumption of transportation fuels in the U.S. Transportation needs use about two-thirds of the petroleum that we consume, while motor gasoline alone uses more than half. We must start with policies that reverse the present growth in our consumption, and then begin to shrink demand.

We will consider both carrots and sticks to cut the demand and to stimulate the domestic supply. Carrots, or incentives, include tax credits and/or rebates for hybrid, diesel and electric vehicles. Sticks, or penalties, include higher fuel economy standards for new vehicles, taxes on gasoline, and annual license fees based on fuel economy. Our class discussions will amplify this list. We will also try to forecast the unintended consequences of these incentives and penalties. One example is the increase in the price of tortillas in Mexico due to the subsidized increase in the production of fuel ethanol from corn in the U.S. Unintended consequences are especially important to consider for both biofuels and synfuels.

These topics will be considered in terms of their technical, environmental, economic and political contexts and consequences. Technical concerns include increasing domestic petroleum production and refining capacity. For increased use of electric vehicles, generating capacity for electric power must also increase. Environmental concerns include lowering emissions of greenhouse gases and toxic compounds. The economic and political dimensions tend to be joined at the hip; for example, how to raise the tax on transportation fuels. We will look for ways to separate or depoliticize these.

Web sites and copies of news and magazine articles will be provided weekly in advance of each class to help us frame the discussion.

Leader: Lawrence H. Weiss is a retired chemical engineer and former consultant to the chemical and electric utility industries on alternative energy technologies and economics.

Tuesday: 10.00 a.m. to noon

8 weeks beginning September 25.