Meeting U.S. Energy Resource Needs The Energy Resources Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (1999) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 7-14
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From page 7... ...
Given the role of energy in our economy, it is no surprise that affordable, abundant, and reliable energy supplies are of crucial interest to national policymakers. A hundred years ago, the major sources of energy in the United States were coal, fuelwood, and animal power.
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A forecaster in the late nineteenth century would have found it difficult to imagine what would happen in the next 100 years: the primacy of the automobile, truck, and airplane; the mechanization of agriculture; the relationship between electricity and such new technologies as the computer and television; the appearance of new energy technologies such as nuclear power; the use of petroleum and coal as industrial feedstocks; the con TABLE 1.1. Comparison of Primary Energy Sources in the United States, 1880 and 1997 Percentage of Total Energy Source 1880 1997 Coal 57 23 Biomass 35 3 Oil 4 39 Gas 4 24 Hydropower 0.1 Wind, solar, geothermal <0.1 Nuclear 4 0.5 7 Note: Percentages sum to more than 100 due to rounding.
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The task of making accurate predictions of the mix of future energy sources is made more difficult by the fact that we do not know exactly how debates will unfold on such topics as the perceived risks of particular energy sources, environmental effects of one source of energy versus another, and possible impacts of different energy sources on global warming and climate change. As a result, several studies of national energy policy recommend that the United States preserve multiple options for energy supply by adopting a portfolio approach to energy technologies and to investment in energy research and development.
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Do geologic formations in the United States contain enough natural gas to allow significant substitution of gas for coal in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and for how long? Can these additional oil and gas resources be recovered at costs competitive with other energy sources?
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Answers to these and many other questions are the focus of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program (ERP)
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Its members have recognized expertise in energy resources; petroleum and coal geology and geochemistry; geophysics; sedimentary petrology; geodynamics; environmental geochemistry; energy assessments; petroleum, mining, and geological engineering; and energy economics. (Brief biographies of panel members are provided in Appendix B.)
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Chapter 4 examines program effectiveness and evolution, and describes the strengths and opportunities for improvement of current programs. Chapter 5 summarizes the panel's findings and recommendations.
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