POWER PLAYS: ENERGY OPTIONS IN THE AGE OF PEAK OIL

U.S. Energy PoliticsThe Elusive Goal of Energy Independence

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me eight times…I must be an idiot.

—Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

The current U.S. president and the past seven U.S. presidents—five Republicans and three Democrats presiding over a span of over four decades—have publicly declared that U.S. dependence on foreign oil is a national security risk. They have all stressed the need for a comprehensive energy policy to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and improve U.S. energy security. The result? Oil demand and oil imports climbed mostly unabated across the terms of those eight ...