Some Advice for the President-Elect

I recently took the opportunity to share my thoughts with the Obama-Biden Transition Team on the topics of energy and the environment. (You can do so also, here.)  

For what it is worth, here's my two cents:

1. I would be cautious about taking oil out of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to affect prices. Your instincts on this were correct during the primary campaign. Not putting more oil in during price spikes is one thing, but actually drawing on the reserve to lower prices is another. I would only do it if prices reached a catastrophically high level, higher than anything we have seen yet. The day may come when we will need the reserve for its intended purpose. It's our rainy day fund.  

2. I would also be cautious about pinning too much hope on so-called "clean coal." I would rather see the Obama-Biden administration explore established technologies such as pebble-bed reactor technology or that discussed in this article , I am not excited about increasing our reliance on nuclear power, but if we want to keep the lights on and mitigate global warming, it has to be in the mix. The technology discussed in the above article has been around for decades with an established safety record.  

3. As oil becomes more expensive (and it will again, soon), so will natural gas, as consumers of oil seek to replace it with gas. I believe you should add to your energy mix increased reliance upon geothermal energy, especially for heating newly constructed commercial and government buildings. This will help mitigate demand for natural gas used for heating.  

4. Finally, trust your instincts on conservation, and don't stop fighting for your plan in this regard. America should have listened to President Carter 30 years ago, and should have stopped listening to Dick Cheney 8 years ago. The cheapest energy resource is the energy we haven't used.

Do you have some advice for President-Elect Obama? They want to hear from you, too.