Carter Wood points us to a new interview with Carl Pope, the Executive Director of the Sierra Club. Pope calls for expanded production of natural gas to help reduce the American dependence on foreign oil:
But among the fuels that you can use there are clear preferences and our preference is, obviously, use all the energy that we use really well. Use renewables as much as we can. Natural gas is the next-cleanest fuel, then we have oil and then we have coal...
So we're trying to make sure that, first and foremost, we innovatively and creatively use whatever fuel we burn, but second that we rely primarily on the fuels that are the cleanest. And, among the fossil fuels, natural gas is at the top...
Our view is that we should actually let markets work. We should make it possible for the most efficient-energy sources to meet the largest part of our energy needs. There's a lot of opportunity-people in the natural gas industry tell me-to produce more natural gas domestically by using new technologies, and we're in favor of that...
I can't find any mention of natural gas in the energy section of Barack Obama's website, except for a brief mention of his plan to 'repeal tax breaks for the oil and gas industry.' Senator Clinton promises to 'flatten demand' for natural gas. It seems that fear of the base is so strong that no one can seek the Democratic nomination while recognizing that we can't conserve our way to energy independence.
It may be a lot to ask, but if the Sierra Club is willing to admit that we might need to produce more energy here in the United States, maybe the Democratic candidates for president could admit it as well.
