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INTRODUCTION
By Max Schulz
Senior Fellow, Center for Energy Policy and the Environment,
Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
Analysts and elected officials alike, from across the political
spectrum, routinely bemoan the fact that the United States
lacks a coherent and effective national energy policy—one
that will both fuel the needs of a growing economy and fulfill
the public demand that our sources of energy be safe and clean.
There is a long list of causes cited: the political divisions
in Washington and related lack of will on the part of our
representatives, as well as the lobbying of interest groups
and what is said to be their influence. Our view of the problem
is more fundamental. We believe that policymaking has been
ineffective because it has simply not been well-grounded in
fact. Indeed, it is little exaggeration to say that ignorance
of the realities of our energy economy—as it relates
to cost, safety, or extent of supply—is very much implicated
in an energy policy that is too often either paralyzed or
moving in contradictory ways.
The booklet in your hands aims to be a healthy corrective. Using the respected
survey research of Zogby Associates, it details the degree to which Americans
are unsure or under-informed about a host of critical energy and environmental
issues. Perhaps more important, it provides explanations and information that
can drive out the half-truths and misconceptions that litter so much of our
nation’s debate about energy. Energy policy analyst Drew Thornley brings
his background in both economics and law to the task of providing the basic
facts that Americans should know when forming opinions about the direction that
our policies should take. He provides a wealth of information—facts and
figures from the most reliable sources in government and the academy—that
policymakers at every level, from Washington to state capitals to county seats—would
be wise to consult when crafting our laws and regulations.
President Barack Obama speaks often about his desire to transform our energy
economy—and many Americans have responded enthusiastically to his call
to build a “green” energy future that moves America away from dependence
on fossil fuels. While his administration works with Congress on the ways and
means to do so, it is worth taking the time to examine the specific nature and
extent of the problem being addressed. How much energy do we use, and where
does it currently come from? What is the extent of the promise of new sources
of energy? How much can we rely on increased conservation and efficiency? These
are the sort of questions that “Energy and the Environment: Myths and Facts”
seeks to answer. It is meant as a dispassionate primer for those interested
in sharpening their knowledge of issues whose importance will only grow in the
years to come.
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