Gusher of Lies

So I was listening to a local radio show the other day and they had Robert Bryce on as a guest. He just released a book called Gusher of Lies.

As many people in America today, 74% actually, I have spent the last couple years under the notion that we need to move towards energy independence. Bryce takes on that notion that not only is it impossible to achieve its not even desirable. Since this went against everything I believed I decided I would give him a shot to get his point across. Even though I didn't agree with it beforehand, I thought what he had said in the interview was well thought out and he provided enough information that I was intrigued.

I've only read the introduction and the first chapter, but his main point that I've been able to gather is that energy "independence" isn't practical because the world is already so energy "interdependent". To prove his point, here are some of the facts he used:

• Saudi Arabia, the largest oil exporter in the world, still imports 186,000 barrels of oil per day. Iran, another large oil producing country, imports 40% of its oil and natural gas.
• The US only imports 11% of its oil from the Middle East. That's obviously nothing to sneeze at, but its not nearly as large a percentage as I had thought.
• There are 143 countries who import oil from the Middle East. If we stopped buying oil from them tomorrow, there would still be 142 other nations buying oil from Saudi Arabia, Syria, etc. So we wouldn't be putting them out of business.
• The global market helps keep energy prices down. Inflation adjusted, we pay less for a gallon of gas today than we did in 1919. He believes this is a direct result of world market competition.

One other thing he brought up that I think is a very valid question. If we are seeking energy independence, why are not seeking independence in every other area of life? I'm almost ashamed that I never asked this question myself before reading it in his book. We import over 90% of many precious metals like alumina, cobalt, platinum, and gallium and nearly all of the material needed to produce steel. I can't remember the exact percentages (since I read the book at Barnes & Noble and didn't buy it) since I don't have them in front of me, but basically all the metals this country uses on a daily basis are imported. 99% of the semiconductors we use in this country are produced overseas, semiconductors that run EVERYTHING in our society today. Why are we not seeking semiconductor independence? Obviously his point is that we are so globally interconnected these days that seeking independence is not even a feasible option anymore.

I'm interested in reading the rest of the book because he's beginning to sway me already that the term "energy independence" is the biggest crock that is being perpetrated on America by politicians on both sides of the aisle. I'll keep posting as I read more.