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R. James Woolsey, former Director of Central Intelligence; co-chairman, Committee on the Present Danger
Photo from October 30, 2003, hearings, "Panel III - China’s Energy Diplomacy and its Geopolitical Implications I" of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission

the "green tide" turns, as top former officials plug plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

The tide seems to be turning, as pillars of the political decision-making class turn to renewable ("green") energy strategies as the path to economic sustainability and geopolitical stability.

This web site reported yesterday on the efforts of former Director of Central Intelligence R. James Woolsey to turn public and political attention towards the technology that this web site focuses on: plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Vehicles using this technology combine the agility of standard legacy hybrids, like the Toyota Prius, with the added benefits of being able to add electrically-fueled mileage by charging up powerful and capacious add-in batteries, enabling vehicles to attain effective mileage rates in the triple digits.

In a Committee on the Present Danger Policy Paper entitled OIL & SECURITY, Mr. Woolsey, joined by former Secretary of the Treasury George Schultz, writes about the pressing need to enhance the national security of the U.S. by finding a way to reduce or eliminate the country's dependence on foreign oil. They write:

"The sixth technology, battery improvement to permit "plug-in" hybrid vehicles, will require some development — although nothing like the years that will be required for hydrogen fuel cells. It holds, however, remarkable promise. Improving batteries to permit them to be given an added charge when a hybrid is garaged, ordinarily at night, can substantially improve mileage, because it can permit hybrids to use battery power alone for the first 10-30 miles. Since a great many trips fall within this range this can improve the mileage of a hybrid vehicle from, say, 50 mpg to over 100 mpg (of oil products). Also, since the average residential electricity cost is 8.5 cents/kwh (and in many areas, off-peak nighttime cost is 2-4 cents/kwh) this means that much of a plug-in hybrid's travel would be on the equivalent of 50 cent/gallon gasoline (or, off-peak, on the equivalent of 12-25 cent/gallon gasoline).

"A plug-in hybrid averaging 125 mpg, if its fuel tank contains 85 per cent cellulosic ethanol, would be obtaining about 500 mpg. If it were constructed from carbon composites the mileage could double, and, if it were a diesel and powered by biodiesel derived from waste, it would be using no oil products at all."

a caveat from the Farm

In an Wind Power World (part of the Etopia Media Environment and Energy News Network) interview recorded yesterday with Stanford atmospheric researcher Mark Jacobson, Professor Jacobson said that bio-mass fuels such as ethanol and the biodiesel cited by Woolsey and Schultz require more energy, overall, to produce than they yield and therefore don't merit serious consideration as contributors to a resolution of the energy issue.

another party heard from, agreeing with the former DCI

The former CIA Director and former Treasury Secretary are not alone as pillars of the political-journalistic community calling for heightened and immediate attention to green alternatives as a top priority.

In an article in today's New York Times entitled "Learning from Lance," Tom Friedman, author most recently of The World is Flat, writes:

"And if you were president, and you had just seen more suicide bombs in London, wouldn't you say to your aides: 'We have got to reduce our dependence on Middle East oil. We have to do it for our national security. We have to do it because only if we bring down the price of crude will these countries be forced to reform. And we should want to do it because it is clear that green energy solutions are the wave of the future, and the more quickly we impose a stringent green agenda on ourselves, the more our companies will lead innovation in these technologies.'

"Instead, we are about to pass an energy bill that, while it does contain some good provisions, will make no real dent in our gasoline consumption, largely because no one wants to demand that Detroit build cars that get much better mileage. We are just feeding Detroit the rope to hang itself. It's assisted suicide. I thought people went to jail for that?"

the energy bill in question

According to the Reuters article linked to above, the energy bill now about to pass the U.S. Congress and go to President Bush for his approval, contains, among others, these provisions:

Offers a total $14.5 billion in tax breaks and incentives over 10 years, with nearly $9 billion earmarked for oil and gas production, electricity reliability and coal pollution projects. Less than $5 billion will be spent on energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Allows oil refiners that increase capacity of existing plants by at least 5 percent to expense half the cost of investments.

Dropped language in Senate bill requiring the federal government to find ways to cut U.S. oil demand, or to require better fuel mileage for gas-guzzlers.

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