Democrats focus on climate change by curtailing coal, natural gas and oil and believe renewable energy technology will bring new jobs.
The lightning rod in the debate is fracking-the new technology to extract oil and natural gas from deep beneath the earth. Over the last five years, fracking has made America the world’s top oil and gas producer accounting for thousands of new family-wage jobs.
EIA reports the USA now is the world’s top oil and natural gas producer. Our natural gas production exceeds Russia’s output and we even outpaced Saudi Arabia in oil.
Aside from the debate over oil, gas and coal, there are other energy projects which both sides may find agreement. They are complex and daunting as well.
For example, Washington could link its bountiful wind and water generating resources. We could build pump-storage facilities along the Columbia River in central Washington which would increase our hydropower output. Currently, our state receives 70% of its electricity from water power.
Here’s how it works.
During times when wind farms produce a surplus of electricity, water from Columbia River reservoirs could be pumped hundreds of feet uphill to newly constructed reservoirs. It would be stored until peak load electrical demand periods when it would be dropped through penstocks into turbines to generate hydropower.
Pump storage projects are gaining acceptance, but finding the money to fund them is a problem. If they are part of a national energy strategy, chances are better that financing will occur.
The bottom line is there are many opportunities to continue to make America “the world’s energy leader.” But it does take an open-minded commitment to look at all options and a desire resolve differences.
Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He can be contacted at
