We are in the midst of an energy revolution. It is overlooked that this is the result of energy choices made decades ago by politicians, businesses, and consumers. Many of these choices go back to the 1970s, in response to the Mid-East oil embargo of 1973 and the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Republican and Democratic Administrations, accompanied by Congress, made a series of decisions about how to increase America’s energy security and safeguard our economy. Today, however, our political rhetoric and vocabulary about energy has not changed since the 1970s. Our energy debates are stuck in the shortages of the 1970s and the optimistic growth and low prices of 1980s. But – the problems of 2014 are not the problems that we faced 30 or 40 years ago. Climate change is real and is harming America’s national security today – in the 1970s that was far in the future. The decades since then have seen an enormous diffusion of economic and political power to countries like China, Brazil, India, and others. Our government has become complacent about the problems of our energy future. This means that we are still coasting on the choices made in response to the crises of the 1970s – we are not responding to the challenges of the 21^st Century. 1.    Fossil Fuel Exports 2.     Building New Energy Infrastructure 3.    Ensuring Safe Storage of Nuclear Waste 4.    The Future of Support for Renewable Energy 5.    Scientific Research into Next Generation Energy

Five Choices on Energy That We Need to Make

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