Last week in Washington, the price of oil reached a record high of $160 a barrel. In response to a series of world events unfolding over the past several months –– civil unrest and loss of local oil production in Nigeria, explosions in a pipeline in Azerbaijan and a cut in oil production by Venezuela and Iran – all contributed to world oil production to drop by one percent. This was enough to send oil prices rocketing, with serious consequences for the American and global economies.

Luckily, this scenario was part of fictional role-playing game, simulating a White House Cabinet meeting called to address the oil crisis. The mock Cabinet took into account several feasible events, and attempted to address the situation by suggesting a national speed limit of 55 miles-per-hour, restricting Sunday driving, rationing gasoline and dipping into the National Petroleum Reserve. The event was organized by the bipartisan group Securing America’s Future Energy and stressed the vulnerability of the U.S. economy to shocks in oil price.

As we celebrate Hanukkah in our homes, Congress prepares to pass a bill that would help us conserve another kind of oil –– the thick petroleum extracted from the depths of the earth. Similar to the olive oil the Maccabbes discovered, today we have a chance of making a given amount of petroleum last longer –– this time by means of efficiency standards.

continue reading "Congress’s Hanukkah Gift"

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New York State Senator Kevin Parker recently traveled to Israel on a Project Interchange Seminar for legislators involved with energy legislation. Parker visited the AJC studio and discussed his impressions of Israel on his first visit and energy policy.

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Why must doing the right thing be such a costly enterprise?

Looking for a new car, a hybrid vehicle seems a natural choice. Saving significantly on gas, I figure, would be good for my personal economics, while contributing to reducing our nation’s dependence on imported oil and helping to improve the environment.

So eager was I to join the hybrid wave, I walked into a Honda dealer two years ago and put down a $500 deposit to become one of the first to buy the new hybrid Accord. The fact that it would cost about $5,000 more than the standard Accord model did not, at first, dampen my enthusiasm.

As I awaited the call alerting me that the car had arrived at the dealership, I paused to consider how long it would take for any reduction in gasoline usage to compensate for the premium affixed to the purchase price. It did not add up.

continue reading "Hybrid Impediments"

Several months ago I was on Capitol Hill meeting a prominent Congresswoman in the Rayburn Room. We met in a corner of the large room, while at its center a technical crew was preparing for a press conference. The banner behind the podium read “Energy Independence.” The House energy bill was going to be presented under that banner later in the day.

She asked, half jokingly, if we had come to talk with her about energy, it being the subject du jour.

Yes, I responded. She was somewhat surprised, as were some of the other Representatives and Senators I had approached. After all, what do Jews have to do with energy policy?

continue reading "Putting Some Bite in U.S. Energy Policy"

The Holy See recently announced that it is proud to be neutral – carbon neutral. Very shortly, in fact, the Vatican will become the fist sovereign state in the world to become entirely carbon neutral. It intends to plant trees in Hungary to offset the emissions used in Vatican City, to begin to convert their facilities’ energy sources to solar power and raise awareness through conferences and teaching about environmental responsibilities.

While the Catholic Church is by far the largest single Christian body in the world, they are by no means the only one concerned over the future of the environment. Concern for the future of our planet has quickly become a religious issue that transcends liberal and conservative labels, cuts across interreligious lines, and takes on theological significance in the sermons of religious leaders.

Catholics, Anglicans, Orthodox, Presbyterians, American Mainline Protestants, Evangelical Protestants, Muslims, Buddhists and Jews have begun to make “earth stewardship” both a political and religious imperative.

continue reading "“Caring for Creation” Gains Speed"

At a recent dinner for a global environmental organization, a new Tesla was auctioned for $110,000 in ten minutes. Starting bid was $80,000, discounted from the $100,000 sticker price, and the actress emceeing that portion of the program expressed frustration that the guests filling the New York hotel ballroom were not more forthcoming in competing for this totally electric vehicle.

Tesla attracted considerable media attention when its two-passenger Roadster was introduced last year, though one might wonder what incentive there is to purchase an environmentally-friendly car that costs more than most gas-guzzling SUV models. Meanwhile, General Motors recently announced that the electric Chevrolet Volt will be available in 2010, demonstrating that even a leading U.S. automaker can be innovative.

Electric cars are a viable option to help diminish our dependence on oil from hostile nations and reduce poisonous emissions polluting the atmosphere. But the technology is hardly ground-breaking.

continue reading "Viable Electric Cars"