WASHINGTON, June 12 (UPI) -- The need to increase energy efficiency in the United States is even greater than finding new fossil fuel sources, if the country is to avoid another energy crisis, speakers said Wednesday at the Energy Efficiency Forum.
Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., said increasing domestic production of oil, gas and coal fails to provide even a short-term solution to the energy equation.
"This country has sent a man to the moon and has mapped the endless complexity of the human genome," Udall told the meeting. "We can, in fact we must, wean ourselves from our dependence on ... energy sources that are harmful to the environment."
Doing so will require federal programs to further encourage energy efficiency and provide incentives for increased use of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, Udall said. The free market will not make those moves quickly enough on its own, so the government must mandate solid, achievable goals to spur development, he said.
Udall's cousin, Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said investments in efficiency could be doubly effective, because reduced usage would lead to wider availability of existing sources, possibly lowering prices. Although public consensus for these efforts is strong, the country probably is not ready for European-style gas taxes meant to reduce consumption even further, Mark Udall said.
Both legislators said the separate energy bills passed by the House and Senate both have helpful provisions. The Senate bill's requirement for greater use of renewable energy by utilities is particularly welcome, Tom Udall said.
The bills' treatment of electricity needs and consumer protections are far apart, however, Mark Udall said, meaning Congress has only a 50 percent chance of sending a compromise bill to President Bush before adjourning this year. If the conference committee bogs down on contentious points, Mark Udall said he would urge compromise legislation made up of the best agreed-upon points.
The country's transportation sector realizes the need to create a more efficient energy economy, said Jefferson Seabright, a former oil industry executive and now director of Green Strategies, a Washington-based consulting firm.
Several oil companies and automakers are investing in technologies that will bring about a "hydrogen economy," where highly efficient fuel cells will use the gas to generate electricity for vehicles and other applications, Seabright said, adding the government's FreedomCAR partnership with automakers to make a fuel-cell car is a move in the right direction, he said.
Earlier in the meeting, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman said hotels now have an energy efficiency rating system to help reduce their energy costs. The Energy Star tool will set national standards for energy performance in hotels, she said. If such buildings improve their efficiency by about 30 percent, they could save more than $1 billion and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by several million metric tons. The EPA is testing a similar tool for use in automotive assembly plants, she said.
