Energy Policy

Tom Friedman doesn't get it right that often, but I like his prescription for a sensible U.S. energy policy:

"Get Washington to signal that gasoline is never going to retreat from a level of $3.50 or $4 a gallon — and that wind and solar subsidies will be there for a decade, not stop and start as they always have before; get Washington to commit to buying a fixed volume of solar and wind power for government buildings and Army bases for 10 years, with only U.S.-based manufacturers able to compete for contracts; get Washington to set a new fleet average of 35 miles per gallon for Detroit within 10 years — with no loopholes; establish government loan guarantees for any company that wants to build a nuclear power plant; and, finally, build a national transmission grid — a green power superhighway — so that solar energy from Arizona or wind from Wyoming can power homes in Chicago." (NYT 6/3/07)

I suppose Friedman's fixation with energy led to his shortsighted support for the War in Iraq, but his insistence is welcome in this corner. I particularly resonate to the notion of current energy policy gruntings in Washington as the "sum of all lobbies." Together with health care and immigration, it tends to define the sort of future we wish to have for this country. Maybe that's why I get so worked up.