In recent years, the seemingly dry subjects of oil and gas drilling and renewable energy have become fodder for Hollywood movies, celebrity concerts and protests outside the White House. Many advocates suggest one side is “good” for America and the other is “bad,” even if they can’t agree on which energy sources are which.
But the reality is more complicated. If oil and natural gas are bad, does that mean powering a hospital or school with those fuels is bad, too? What about a poor family that buys cheaper fossil fuels to help put food on the table? And if an eagle dies after being hit by a wind turbine blade, is that less of an outrage than when another one hits a high-transmission power line?
Michael Levi’s “The Power Surge” is a welcome relief to melodramatic debates over energy.
Levi has an important message: For Americans to reap the full benefits from the energy boom and avoid potential harm to the economy, public health and the environment, policymakers will need to make balanced, rational choices and avoid the temptation to believe that there are simple answers to fueling an enormous appetite for energy. Kevin Begos, The Associated Press
“The Power Surge: Energy, Opportunity, and the Battle for America’s Future”
By Michael Levi, Oxford University Press, 272 pages, $27.95
