Energy in America's future: the choices before us

Book · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1979

OSTI ID:5764981

Schurr, S H; Darmstadter, J; Perry, H; Ramsay, W; Russell, M

This book lays out the facts, prospects, and policy issues regarding US energy sources and technologies, and analyzes their environmental, health, and safety impacts. It does not shrink from identifying unknowns and uncertainties, but still it concludes that there is a resource base for an acceptable energy future and a healthy economy for the United States, and it suggests strategies to guide the country along a realistic energy path to the year 2000 and beyond. The major conclusions of the study, looking toward the turn of the century, are that the rate of growth of energy consumption can be slowed significantly, although the country still will use a good deal more energy in absolute terms. National energy needs eventually can be supplied basically from domestic sources at maximum costs not greater than twice 1978 prices. Neither the costs of energy nor the conditions of its supply need stop continued economic growth. The possible environmental, health, and safety impacts associated with energy production and use, while serious, can be mitigated by direct action or by choosing the more benign of available energy options. The key problems complicating the US energy situation will be (and are) political and institutional, not economic or technical. Based on these findings, the authors believe that consensus can be forged among divergent energy factions, and they discuss feasible policy initiatives to bring about agreement.

• OSTI ID: 5764981
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290200 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Economics & Sociology
290300 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
292000* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Supply
Demand & Forecasting
298000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Consumption & Utilization
530100 -- Environmental-Social Aspects of Energy Technologies-- Social & Economic Studies-- (-1989)
530200 -- Environmental-Social Aspects of Energy Technologies-- Assessment of Energy Technologies-- (-1989)
COST
DECISION MAKING
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMY
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
ENERGY POLICY
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
ENERGY SUPPLIES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
NORTH AMERICA
POLITICAL ASPECTS
SAFETY
USA