One BTU of energy is equal to that of a single wooden match. Experts estimate U.S. consumption will increase another 33 percent by 2020. About 40 percent of U.S. energy comes from petroleum, of which 60 percent is imported, making the nation susceptible to price hikes and supply shortages at the whim of the 13-member Oil Producing and Exporting Countries cartel. In response to this new energy crisis, the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress are pushing for new subsidies to spur more domestic oil and gas production. President Bush also has invoked the energy crunch as an excuse to renege on a campaign pledge to reduce coal-fired power plant emissions that contribute to global warming.
Environmentalists smell a rat.
Among the industry's advocates in Congress is Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, who heads the House Resources Committee. Hansen is holding a series of hearings on how more oil, gas and coal can be extracted from the nation's interior lands and coastal waters. In Utah, the quest for more energy has already begun. The state Division of Oil, Gas and Mining so far this year has issued 280 drilling permits, a 50 percent increase over the same period in 2000. No one is taking a broad, big-picture look.