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The Obama administration needs more research before it can tailor a strategy for harvesting  available energy resources in the U.S., according to a report released today by the Interior Department. President Obama has made clear that he's big on alt energy options – but said during his campaign that he would consider off shore drilling on leased land in combo with development of renewable energy sources in a push to make the U.S. independent of foreign oil.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement that the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy resources report  points to "huge information gaps about the location and extent of offshore oil and gas resources" that need to be filled in before officials can make any policy decisions on oil exploration and renewable energy research. He noted, for instance, that in some cases seismic and related data (in the Atlantic OCS and Eastern Gulf of Mexico) is more than 25 years old and would have to be updated to determine whether drilling would be safe.

Salazar in February asked the U.S. Geological Survey and Minerals Management Service (MMS) to compile this report, gathering all existing data on oil and natural gas reserves on the OCS and all information on the possible impacts of drilling. Interior last month reached an agreement with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) giving Interior jurisdiction over offshore wind and solar energy projects and FERC authority  over offshore projects that generate electricity from wave and tidal currents. (Interior has jurisdiction over offshore drilling.)

The report notes that the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) has identified more than 1,000 gigawatts of wind power potential off the Atlantic coast, and more than 900 gigawatts of wind potential off the Pacific Coast.

"While we continue to generate a vast majority of our electricity from fossil fuels, renewable energy sources appear more attractive as we look for ways to address environmental, economic, and energy security," the report says. "The energy resources of the OCS, and specifically renewable energy sources, are particularly attractive options with significant resources located in close proximity to coastal population centers."

Image © Minerals Management Service

6 Comments

1. 1. JamesDavis 07:33 AM 4/3/09

   Do not allow anyone from the oil, gas, or coal industry get involved in the compilation of data; they are not above lying to keep us tittered to a dirty and dangerous source of low grade energy. In West Virginia, the coal industry is running commercials in trying to convince that dumb government that they have carbon neutral coal and it is clean, smells good too, and does not pollute the water or land. Since the coal industry is using a sexy woman (sexy to West Virginia's standards) in the commercials, the government and all of the dumbed-down coal miners believe every word she says. So do not allow any of the above mentioned people or state get involved in the research or compilation of data and above all, do not believe what they say.

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2. 2. chrispc88 in reply to JamesDavis 12:01 PM 4/3/09

   Funny, I would have used the exact same argument - only directed at politicians.

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3. 3. fishman 10:29 PM 4/3/09

   At best wind solar volteric and tidal all have the same basic problem- storage. That is why nuke coal and petro sources must remain in place to take up the slack durring doldrums. Standby fuel cells (nat gas) can and has worked as a fill in source for elec. Under reporting of use of elec in NY City brought the grid doun ounce, the two f cells could not make up the under report, sorry let the cat out of the bag.
   The first time was a intro of a wrong phase. Bang-- We realy must stop drinking the Kool Aid

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4. 4. Shoshin 09:43 AM 4/5/09

   James Davis:
   
   So then anybody who knows anything about energy should be banned from helping to craft energy policy? That makes as much sense as having a community organizer who's never even run a lemonade stand pass judgement on the skills of the president of General Motors and fire him ..... oh wait, that did happen. You win. All kinds of things make sense in our Brave New World.
   
   Pass the soma please.

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5. 5. Shoshin 09:47 AM 4/5/09

   James Davis:
   
   In Canada, energy industry outsiders were brought in to devise a new oil and gas royalty scheme. The result was a complete and utter disaster. The government is now attempting to backpedal but the damage has been done. Investor confidence was destroyed, thousands of people are out of work and the industry has fled for greener pastures. How did that work out for them? Not so good.

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6. 6. eco-steve 01:34 PM 4/6/09

   The only durable energy policy is energy efficiency : a war on waste. Our descendants looking at our energy performance will wonder how we could drive such inefficient cars and live in such thermally-leaky houses. We should be employing all our research talent into designing new products that will replace the consumer-based throw-away goods we now possess. What is required is none less than an intellectual revolution.

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