energy dependence

13 Stories

It's Not BP's Fault. We Did This.
 It's Not BP's Fault. 
 We Did This. 
THOMAS FRIEDMAN

It's Not BP's Fault. We Did This.

And it's time to get real about energy independence

(Newser) - It's not like this is the first time, writes Thomas Friedman. We sat through the energy crisis of the '70s, the 9/11 attacks, two Gulf wars, a financial meltdown, and did nothing to end our nation's thirst for foreign oil. But maybe now, as we watch the toxic stain of...

Palin: Scrap Cap and Trade; It's Still Drill, Baby, Drill

(Newser) - President Obama's cap-and-trade energy plan is actually a "cap-and-tax" plan that is an "enormous threat to our economy," Sarah Palin writes in the Washington Post. In an op-ed piece she predicts will disappoint "the chattering class," who prefer "personality-driven political gossip," she says...

Gulf Oil Powers Pump Green Into Clean Technology

States invest billions to keep atop energy-economy heap

(Newser) - Though the per-capita carbon footprint of the United Arab Emirates dwarfs that of most anywhere else, it and fellow Persian Gulf oil giants like Qatar and Saudi Arabia are becoming the unlikely cradle of green technology, the New York Times reports. Wary of the world’s dependence on crude and...

Obama Girds for 'Unprecedented' Economic Crisis

President-elect focusing on security, trust, downturn and Gitmo, he tells 60 Minutes

(Newser) - National security, the economy and breaking America's addiction to fossil fuels are Barack Obama's key priorities, he revealed in his first sit-down TV interview since becoming president-elect. He's focusing first on security because "transition periods are times of vulnerability to a terrorist attack," he explained on 60 Minutes ...

When Did Patriots Stop Paying Taxes?
When Did Patriots Stop Paying Taxes?
OPINION

When Did Patriots Stop Paying Taxes?

Palin dead wrong; now is time for US taxpayer to step up: Friedman

(Newser) - Sarah Palin is really asking for it, writes Thomas Friedman in the New York Times, when she blithely criticizes paying taxes as unpatriotic—especially when Uncle Sam needs the cash to pay for wars and a bailout that she supports. Does Palin "think borrowing money from China is more...

Gas From Garbage Finally Gets Momentum

From sawdust to agricultural waste, scientists drive toward new fuels

(Newser) - After decades of dreaming, schemes to turn waste into fuel are finally getting traction in the US, with some 28 plants in the works and a handful even up and running, the New York Times reports. They consume everything from wood chips to garbage, as once-prohibitively expensive processes become competitive...

Admit It: Carter Was 100% Right
Admit It:
Carter Was
100% Right
OPINION

Admit It: Carter Was 100% Right

Energy conservation sounds like a pretty good idea about now

(Newser) - “Misunderstood, mocked and maligned” though he was, Jimmy Carter was exactly right about our energy problems and their solutions, Joseph Wheelan writes in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Way back in 1979, "Carter outlined a program for achieving energy independence." In 2008, "It turns out that Carter was...

Oil Tycoon Kicks Off Energy Campaign

Pickens wants to wean us from foreign supply with wind, natural gas

(Newser) - Billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens is fed up with America’s dependence on oil and today launched a huge ad campaign to persuade the nation to kick its crude addiction, the Dallas Morning News reports. His "Pickens Plan" proposes that Americans swap gasoline for natural gas, then replace natural...

Oil-Addicted Bush Must Kick the Habit
Oil-Addicted Bush
Must Kick the Habit
OPINION

Oil-Addicted Bush Must Kick the Habit

High fuel prices offer chance to change our ways

(Newser) - The American thirst for oil is like a drug addiction, and George Bush wants another hit, writes Thomas Friedman in the New York Times. Bush’s irresponsible energy plan involves getting a little more oil from Saudi Arabia to keep prices low, and then drilling in Alaska—simply prolonging our...

Lithuania's Negative Energy Bad for Europe
Lithuania's Negative Energy Bad for Europe
Analysis

Lithuania's Negative Energy Bad for Europe

Foot-dragging on nuke plant could force ugly bargain with Russia

(Newser) - Lithuanians "should be furious" with politicians who have backed the Baltic nation into a "potentially appalling" crisis of energy and policy, the Economist notes. As condition for its admission to the European Union, Lithuania promised to shutter its Ignalina nuclear power plant by 2009—and pols have made...

Who Cares Who We Talk to?
Who Cares Who We Talk to?
OPINION

Who Cares Who We Talk to?

The only way to revive US influence is to stop empowering our foes with oil dollars

(Newser) - Though politicians and pundits alike are caught up in which foes the US should or shouldn't be reaching out to, Thomas Friedman, in the New York Times, points out that few world leaders of any stripe are sitting by the phone waiting for our call. Waning American influence and the...

Bush Signs Huge Energy Bill
Bush Signs Huge Energy Bill

Bush Signs Huge Energy Bill

Law boosts emission standards for first time since '70s

(Newser) - President Bush today signed a sweeping energy bill that will improve automotive fuel-efficiency standards, boost biofuel production, and kill off the incandescent light bulb, the Washington Post reports. Bush said the law would reduce US dependence on foreign oil and even the likelihood of terrorist attacks. Both the White House...

Ethanol Glut Sinking Farmers' Hopes
Ethanol Glut Sinking Farmers' Hopes

Ethanol Glut Sinking Farmers' Hopes

'Gold rush' fades as biofuel prices plummet

(Newser) - A glut of ethanol has sent prices plumetting, staggering the hopes of farmers and businesses who once counted on a biofuel gold rush, reports the New York Times. Companies and farm cooperatives built so many ethanol distilleries that production has far outpaced demand, in part because distribution hasn't kept up.

13 Stories
Most Read on Newser