I devoted my Civic Issues blogs to one of America’s major problems: the future of energy. I noticed a few other classmates did similar topics, such as alternative energy sources, and it’s nice seeing that many people are aware of the potential danger if we do not sort out this energy mess. Replacing the efficiency of fossil fuels with cost-effective alternative energy sources is something that has baffled the country for decades, and will continue to. In my own opinion, I do not see a significant shift to cleaner energy sources in the near future mainly due to the price of these methods. What seems more feasible is to take action that will decrease our need to import so much oil on a daily basis.
One of the primary issues is that we are overly reliant on foreign regions, especially the volatile Middle East, for our oil supply. Although there is not much that can be done to stop relying on these countries for oil, there is more that we can do within the country to diminish the need for foreign oil. While many people have discussed alternative energy sources such as wind, solar, and nuclear (to name a few), an interesting solution may lie in unconventional oil and gas.
Unconventional oil and gas activity is already revolutionizing America’s energy future and bringing enormous benefits to its economy. Unlocking unconventional energy will generate millions of jobs and billions in government receipts. Against a backdrop of a historically slow economic recovery and persistently high unemployment following the Great Recession, the surge in spending associated with unconventional oil and natural gas activity is proving to be an important engine for jobs creation.
Shale oil and natural gas industries will continue to boom, allowing domestic production to reach an all-time high. By exporting the natural gas extracted within the country and importing liquid natural gas, we will be able to shift to cleaner natural gas. This will keep carbon emission levels from rising, and actually start an overall decrease. But the revolution in U.S. energy isn’t just about fracking and other new forms of production. Behavior change can also alter the way we use energy. This will work exceptionally if the Obama administration is able to keep the motor industry towards reaching the goal of 54.5 MPG by 2025. But the thing about the future is that it remains remarkably unpredictable, and we’ll never really know until the time comes.