THE ENERGY OPPORTUNITY - The Power Surge: Energy, Opportunity, and the Battle for America's Future - page 195

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THE ENERGY OPPORTUNITY
h e United States is in the throes of two unfolding energy revolutions.
Yet few are celebrating both. A Gallup poll conducted in March 2012
asked Americans a simple question: Should the United States focus
on expanding fossil-fuel supplies, or on developing alternative energy
sources? 1 Democrats strongly favored alternatives; Republicans came
down decisively on the side of fossil fuels. Only 5 percent of ered a
third answer: the United States should do both.
Indeed, many scholars, politicians, and ordinary people are convinced
that it is incoherent, and perhaps even hypocritical, to support growth
of old and new energy sources at the same time. h e United States may
currently be producing more oil while using less, and boosting natural
gas and zero-carbon power at the same time, but many believe one side
must prevail over the other very soon. h is belief, as we have seen, is
wrong. Set aside politics for a moment; we'll return to it soon. h e right
strategy for the United States would intelligently embrace opportunities
in old and new energy alike.
Abundant natural gas is creating jobs today, improving national secu-
rity by sparing the United States the need to depend on imports, and
down the road it might help substantially cut U.S. oil demand. It has