Time to Kill the Oil Beast

Both presidential candidates spoke of their desire to reduce U.S. reliance on imported oil, but it is not really practical to distinguish between foreign and domestic supplies in the marketplace. The only way to sever ties with foreign oil producers is to use less oil, period. In pursuing this goal, the next president should not aim at securing modest incremental gains, but should set an ambitious goal: reducing oil's role as America's primary energy source (from 40 to 25 percent) and increasing the share obtained from renewables and hydropower to the same percentage (up from 6 percent) by 2030.

To get there, the new administration will have to consider many initiatives at once: accelerating the development of advanced biofuels using nonfood crops, and of "plug-in" hybrid cars and advanced automotive designs; expanding public transit options; and persuading Americans to drive less, drive slower or carpool more often. Since none of these initiatives are likely to succeed by themselves, all will have to be promoted with equal vigor.

Many such options will be costly and contentious. The development of climate-friendly coal, entailing the separation of carbon from the fuel mix and burying it underground, will no doubt prove expensive and difficult. Likewise, any increase in nuclear power will have to address the problem of what to do with leftover radioactive waste. And a substantial increase in wind and solar power will require stringing high-tension wires across the countryside. Yet without more electricity, it will not be possible to begin mass-producing plug-in hybrids and expanding the reach of rail transportation, thus reducing petroleum use.

These steps will require presidential decrees, legislative initiatives, budgetary allocations and so forth—each step inviting resistance from special-interest groups. Advocates of accelerated domestic drilling will clash with those who seek to protect pristine wilderness areas; proponents of wind and solar power will clash with those who favor nuclear power. To work out the details of which specific steps to take to reduce reliance on foreign oil and which types of renewable energy deserve the greatest support, the president in his first days should convene a committee of experts for systematic scrutiny and evaluation. The American public and members of Congress should also be invited to submit their views on the relative merits of competing proposals. But the ultimate objective of these efforts should remain clear: to diminish U.S. dependence on oil and increase America's reliance on climate-friendly alternatives developed with American skills and technology.

Such a vision would have numerous attractions. First, if the country could reduce its petroleum consumption by approximately two fifths, it could give up on oil supplies from the Middle East, Russia and other precarious sources, relying instead on domestic oil for the bulk of its needs and turning to friendly suppliers like Canada for the rest. Second, a substantial increase in renewable-energy sources would reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases responsible for global climate change. And because these renewable systems are not yet available in anything approaching the necessary numbers or levels of efficiency, Washington would have to invest in American products and technology to achieve its targets—generating new jobs and economic opportunities.

A transformation of this sort would allow dramatic changes in foreign policy. Instead of competing with China for access to oil, the United States could cooperate with the Middle Kingdom in developing alternative-energy systems. Reduced reliance on Middle Eastern oil would also allow the United States to scale down its military profile in the region, undercutting the appearance of militant anti-American organizations like Al Qaeda.

This is a vision that the American people could rally around. Although they will have to iron out many differences over the best ways to achieve this grand objective, Americans can do it—and do so in a spirit of amity and compromise—if they know where they are headed and have a bold president ready to lead them there.