The handwriting on the wall was clear when we had gas station lines in 1973. Now, with gas at four dollars, "alternative energy sources" have become politically fashionable. I am among the many who now advocate the development of alternatives. However, as the controversy over the ethanol alternative, in food prices and the effect on the engine shows, any choice we make requires foresight, discipline, and perhaps even sacrifice.

Conservation

The quickest way to relieve the fuel stress is conservation. A vehicle that gets 15 mpg saves four gallons per 100 miles over a vehicle that gets 35 mpg. Going from 35 mpg, which is easily attainable now, to 100 mpg, which is advanced technology, saves only two gallons per 100 miles. Yes, we need the engineering that will take us to 100 mpg and beyond — but we can get an immediate bang for the buck using technology that we have right now. The same principle is true with home insulation — the biggest impact comes from the first layer of insulation. I will do all I can to promote conservation.

Oil & Natural Gas

New drilling offshore and in sensitive areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the choice that Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney are pushing. Such new wells will not affect the price of fuel for at least a decade, and we already have hundreds of thousands of acres leased for drilling.

Natural gas is abundant in the continental US. Although it is a fossil fuel and therefore contributes to the greenhouse effect, it is relatively clean and efficient. Gas is used by many municipalities for buses, and by the Navajo Nation in Korean War era 6x6 trucks for tours through Canyon de Chelly. These folk have the utilities to take bulk deliveries. So maybe we should start setting up “gas” stations. Is that too hard for America?

Energy R & D

Even if we make a dedicated effort to conserve, America will not be able to declare energy independence until we make an effort comparable to JFK’s space program. We need research and development in vehicle propulsion, electric power generation, advanced energy economy, and more. Will it be too expensive? Every day we use — and business and industry rely upon — technological spinoffs from the space program. The effort should also create new, good-paying jobs.

None of this will happen by itself. Nor will it happen in America (rather than in China or other technologically emergent nations) unless we make strong advances in our educational system, from pre-K to post-PhD.

Emerging Alternatives

Solar, wind and tidal energy sources are now touted on the TV screen almost daily and others may be discovered. Unfortunately, each known source has both advantages and disadvantages. Drive through north Texas and you will see a landscape of twirling windmills along 100 miles of ridge, and solar cell manufacture requires the use of toxic chemicals. The costs are also high — at least for now. To put that in perspective, back in the 1950s, a blue-ribbon panel predicted the US would need twelve regional computer centers because computers were so expensive and complex.

Nuclear Plants

The last energy source I will speak to is atomic power. A nuclear plant emits no greenhouse gases and requires no trainloads of fuel. Russia’s Chernobyl incident was an environmental disaster it two ways: in its effects, and in creating the image that atomic plants are likely to fail. In fact, there has been no similar incident in any other nuclear power plant. Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island plant lost minimal quantities of radioactivity — a fraction of what is discharged from any coal-fired plant in a day. I am not willing to endorse the atomic alternative without the guarantee of adequate controls and provisions for waste disposal. For the reasons I have given, however, neither am I willing to rule out atomic power as a viable alternative.

This is a my current understanding of the energy situation. I plan to devote a great deal of time to improving my level of knowledge. As in all matters, I will also diligently seek out the ideas and preferences of the people of District 1 on this critically important issue.