Energy crisis requires visionary leadership

John McCain and Barack Obama seem busier trying to one-up each other with daily sound bites than discussing realistic, long-term solutions for our nation’s toughest problems.

Take energy. Oil prices have forced painful choices in family budgets, choices that will only get worse when the winter heating season arrives. Thousands of jobs already have been lost in the airline, auto and other sectors, with more displacement likely. Suddenly, Americans are realizing they’re the victims of a decades-long leadership void — for which both major parties are responsible — that failed to invest in the cleaner, plentiful energy future our economy requires.

McCain and Obama are both campaigning on the promise of a new kind of bipartisan leadership, something that’s overdue and badly needed in energy policy. It is not an exaggeration to say that without a new, forward-thinking, comprehensive national strategy on energy, America’s future prosperity and way of life will be in peril.

A bipartisan group of 27 “elder statesmen,” including notable former Cabinet members (like Colin Powell, Henry Kissinger and William Perry), former White House chiefs of staff (including Howard Baker and Thomas “Mack” McLarty) and former senators (like Sam Nunn and Charles Robb) sees it that way. On Wednesday, they sent an open letter to McCain, Obama, members of the next Congress and all 50 state governors calling for urgent action to solve our nation’s “long-term energy crisis.”

Partisan disagreements and political gamesmanship have for too long blocked a sound energy policy from being developed. The hurdles we face — finding economical and cleaner alternatives to oil, figuring out how to effectively deal with the waste from nuclear energy, developing the technology to sequester CO2 emissions from coal plants underground to reduce the impact on global warming, to name just three — are formidable but not insurmountable. “We remain optimistic,” the elder statesmen write, “that America when challenged, properly informed and led will successfully meet these challenges.”

They detail 13 strategies the next president and Congress must focus on, including aggressively promoting energy efficiency and increasing investments in clean alternatives. “We spend less than four billion dollars a year on clean energy R&D, which is less than we spend in three days on imported oil today,” they note.

The letter also calls for an expansion of domestic oil and gas exploration, a sore point for Democrats, and demonstrating global leadership on energy security and climate change, something the Bush administration has essentially refused to do. Bipartisanship requires compromise, a key element in the group’s call.

But mostly, they’re calling for leadership. The two men who seek to lead this nation for the next four years need to hear them.

To read the letter, go to www.energyxxi.org.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

People walk adjacent to the border with Canada at the Peace Arch in Peace Arch Historical State Park, where cars behind wait to enter Canada at the border crossing Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, in Blaine, Wash. Canada lifted its prohibition on Americans crossing the border to shop, vacation or visit, but America kept similar restrictions in place, part of a bumpy return to normalcy from coronavirus travel bans. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Editorial: U.S. and Canada better neighbors than housemates

President Trump may be serious about annexing Canada, but it’s a deal fraught with complexities for all.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, Feb. 13

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

State single-payer health care bill offers many advantages

I was excited to read in Will Geschke’s report (“Everett lawmakers back… Continue reading

Important national story missing from Herald

I couldn’t find a report in The Herald that the Trump administration… Continue reading

Comment: Trump’s ‘Man-of-Steel’ shtick will make U.S. weaker

Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum will harm allies we need and won’t help industries here.

Comment: AG Bondi’s DEI memo more messaging than lawsuit threat

Talk of criminal investigations is intended to panic corporations into abandoning their DEI programs.

Goldberg: Why Musk, Vance went to bat for self-desribed racist

While a former Trump official is on the outs for doing his job, a proud racist gets his job back.

CNA Nina Prigodich, right, goes through restorative exercises with long term care patient Betty Long, 86, at Nightingale's View Ridge Care Center on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Boost state Medicaid funding for long-term care

With more in need of skilled nursing and assisted-living services, funding must keep up to retain staff.

bar graph, pie chart and diagrams isolated on white, 3d illustration
Editorial: Don’t let state’s budget numbers intimidate you

With budget discussions starting soon, a new website explains the basics of state’s budget crisis.

Curtains act as doors for a handful of classrooms at Glenwood Elementary on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Schools’ building needs point to election reform

Construction funding requests in Arlington and Lake Stevens show need for a change to bond elections.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Wednesday, Feb. 12

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Welch: State Democrats’ bill would undermine parental rights

The bill would allow kids as young as 13 to make mental health decisions without notice to parents.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.