What Should The US National Energy Policy Be?

Nathan Schumacher
Fundamentals oI Construction I
Instructor: Joe Burgett
November, 2011


This paper is about what changes we could make to be less dependent on Ioreign energy
resources. I start out with electricity generation and where we get our Iuel to make the electric
power in the United States. From there I show what areas the most Ioreign resources are used. I
Iollow up with what we could do to be less dependent on Ioreign resources. Currently our
electricity power plants use Coal, Natural Gas, Nuclear, Petroleum, and other renewable energy
sources to generate electricity like hydroelectric, solar, wind power, and geothermal in the
United States.
Coal is the most common Iuel Ior generating electricity in the United States. In 2010, 45 oI
the Country's electricity used coal as its source oI energy. 'Coal provides nearly one-quarter oI
the total energy consumed in the U.S. The country has enough in the ground to last about 240
years. A belieI in this nearly boundless supply has led oIIicials to dub the U.S. the "Saudi Arabia
oI Coal."
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Beings coal is a plentiIul source in the United States not much is imported Ior power
plants to produce electricity. Coal analyst Richard Bonskowski at the Energy InIormation
Administration says, 'The US is importing only 4 percent oI US consumption. So, that is a
very small number being imported Irom other Ioreign sources. There is a lot oI controversy
about using coal though because oI the emissions it produces but, new technologies are being
used to keep emissions down. I think coal is a very good natural resource and we should keep
using it to produce electricity.
Natural Gas is the second most used Iuel to generate electricity. According to U.S. Energy
InIormation Administration, year to date through July, 2011 the country used 23.4 oI natural
gas to produce electricity. The net imports oI natural gas accounted Ior 15 percent oI natural gas
use in the United States in 2002. About 95 percent oI U.S. natural gas imports are Irom Canada.
This is a bigger number than coal than is imported to the United States.
Nuclear energy provides 19.6 percent oI the United States' electricity and is its No. 1 source oI
emission-Iree electricity.
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In the United States 92 oI delivered uranium was oI Ioreign-origin:
41 originated in Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan, 37 was Irom Australia and Canada,
14 came Irom Namibia, Niger, and other countries. It`s a common misconception that nuclear
power plants keep us less dependent on Ioreign sources. Knowing this it seems they do not
unless you count the Iact that the Iuel used in nuclear power generation is 10 oI the cost oI
operation. Most oI the cost is associated with worker cost.

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Petroleum power plants account Ior about 1 oI United States electricity. Oil is the largest
source oI energy in the United States, providing close to 40 percent oI all oI the nations entire
power needs. Most oil is used Ior transportation or home heating purposes; a small percentage is
still used as a Iuel Ior electricity generating plants. According to the Energy InIormation
Administration, the amount oI imported oil Iell Irom 60.3 percent in 2005 to 49.3 percent in
2010. 'This means that roughly halI oI the 19.1 million barrels per day (MMbd) oI petroleum
products consumed last year were produced domestically.
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Renewable energy sources such as Hydroelectric, Wind power, geothermal energy, and solar
represent a small percentage oI electricity power generation. Hydroelectric power depends on
having available Ilow oI water. Dams are built to harness the energy to turn turbines and
generators. It represents about 7 oI the United States electricity production. Wind power
depends on having lots oI land with wind Ilow. It is still a small percentage producing power,
but capacity is expanding rapidly. Solar power provides less than 1 oI U.S. energy needs. This
percentage is expected to increase with the development oI new and more eIIicient solar
technologies. Geothermal energy use is eIIicient, reliable, and environmentally Iriendly, it
currently meets less than 1 oI U.S. power needs.

This is a very in depth research topic. I would like to continue this subject oI research. It seems
to me that public opinion is a bit oII about Nuclear Power. Most people I talk to believe that
nuclear power would make us less reliant on Ioreign energy. Uranium is imported mostly Irom
Ioreign countries. It is not the most imported energy source but, iI we move to electric cars like
most articles that I`ve read say we will do; people may look at nuclear power more. II we do not
look at the renewable sources more we will become more reliant on energy sources such as
nuclear and coal. Coal is not considered as Iriendly to the environment as renewable energy
sources or nuclear.
Overall, I think we need to look into renewable energies point blank. It seems the United States
is doing a lot with wind power these days considering I see trucks driving down the interstate
with the turbines almost every time I drive. It`s a good start. It should deIinitely be part oI the
current energy policy to push completely away Irom Ioreign energy sources. Now I see nuclear
as a Ioreign source too. Fukushimma Daiichi nuclear reactor disaster does not make a huge dent
in my decision. I think the United States is a real leader in keeping saIety in their nuclear power
plants. I`m not totally pushing away Irom the idea oI having nuclear power plants either. I`m
just not sure yet what the best option is there. It would take extremely in depth research to Iigure
out what is costing the U.S. more. It may be less expensive to run a nuclear power plant rather
than build a new hydroelectric dam. Considering that the energy cost oI a nuclear plant is only
10 oI total energy cost, maybe that to makes a diIIerence. It`s keeping American jobs here. In
that case I would have to go with the less oI both evils.

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