NEW YORK, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The head of Dow Chemical says the United States is facing the worst energy crisis in its history -- not in fueling cars but in home heating.
"American consumers worry about oil and the price of gasoline," Andrew N. Liveris, the chief executive of Dow Chemical, told the New York Times Saturday in an interview. "They should worry that there may not be enough natural gas to heat and cool their homes."
Liveris says replacing petrochemicals with alternative energy sources like wind or solar energy is not a solution because the world is not ready to pay the full cost of developing alternative fuels and ingredients.
"I want Congress to declare a national emergency, educate the American public about the crisis and unshackle industry," said Liveris.
"It should allow drilling in the outer continental shelf and elsewhere, and speed up the permitting process for building terminals that accept liquefied natural gas. There are only four terminals in the country. We need 20 or 30 times as many."
Liveris said industry has learned to explore for oil and gas in an environmentally responsible fashion.
