Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of ""Energy Independence""

by Robert Bryce

Overview

Everybody is talking about "energy independence." But is it really achievable -- or even desirable? In this controversial, meticulously researched book, Robert Bryce exposes the false promises and political posturing behind the rhetoric. Gusher of Lies explains why the idea of energy independence appeals to voters while also showing that renewable sources like wind and solar cannot meet America's growing energy demand. Along the way, Bryce exposes the ethanol scam as one of the longest-running robberies ever perpetrated on American taxpayers. In a new foreword to this edition, he shows how energy independence rhetoric was used during the 2008 election, even as the heavily subsidized ethanol business fueled a growing global food crisis.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781586486563
Publisher:	PublicAffairs
Publication date:	03/04/2008
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	416
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Robert Bryce is the acclaimed author of five previous books, including Smaller, Faster, Lighter, Denser, Cheaper: How Innovation Keeps Proving the Catastrophists Wrong, and Power Hungry: The Myths of "Green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Austin Chronicle, Guardian, and National Review.

He has given over 300 invited or keynote lectures to groups ranging from the Marine Corps War College to the Sydney Institute and has appeared on dozens of media outlets ranging from Fox News to Al Jazeera. Bryce is also the producer of a new feature-length documentary, Juice: How Electricity Explains the World. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Lorin.

Table of Contents

Author's Note     ix
Introduction: The Persistent Delusion     1
Why We Think We Want Energy Independence
Imports Are Us     15
The Emotional Appeal of Energy Independence     19
The False Promises of Energy Independence     47
From Dominance to Dependence: American Energy History, Rhetoric, and the New Realities
The Global Energy Power Shift     85
1972: Texas Taps Out     89
1973: The Embargo, Militarism, and Rhetoric     93
September 15, 2004: The Non-OPEC Peak Meets Surging Demand     107
September 27, 2004: The Neocon Crusade Begins     115
The Impossibility of Independence
Skepticism and Thermodynamics     125
The Best Buy Effect     129
More Efficiency, More Fuel     137
The Ethanol Scam     145
Sidebar: The Ethanol Timeline     197
Running Out of (Natural) Gas     199
Nuclear Power: Megawatts from Foreign Uranium     203
The "Opiates of Energy Policy": Coal-to-Liquids and Imported Coal     211
Solar: The 1 Percent Solution     217
Hot Air     223
Sidebar: Thomas Friedman's Maginot Line     231
The World of Interdependence
The View from Jubail     237
The Rise of Dubaiand the "Shift in Gravity"     243
Isolate Iran? Don't Count On It     247
A Few Suggestions     253
Sidebar: What about Fuel Taxes and Carbon Taxes?     259
Conclusion     287
U.S. Imports of Strategic Mineral Commodities, Their Uses, and Key Suppliers     293
The Set America Free Manifesto, Released on September 27, 2004, at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C.     299
A Survey of Fuel Sources: A Comparison of Their Land Use Requirements, Water Use, Energy Ratios, and CO[subscript 2] Emissions     302
Notes     305
Bibliography     357
Index     361

Editorial Reviews

Bryce does a fantastic job of helping people understand the sheer magnitude of energy flows that would have to be replaced to attain energy independence, and conclusively makes his case that pursuing energy interdependence is a superior objective.

New York Post

In Gusher of Lies, Mr. Bryce mounts a savage attack on the concept of energy independence. [He] begins coolly, then heats up and eventually approaches core meltdown. . . . Land[ing] one telling blow after another.. Mr. Bryce gets to work demolishing cherished green beliefs about alternative energy sources ... but he is an equal-opportunity smiter.. He [too] goes after the political right. Fortunately, Mr. Bryce suggests that there is some light at the end of the tunnel. In the end, the hard-nosed Mr. Bryce reveals himself as something of a visionary and perhaps even a revolutionary. Power to the people.

The New York Times

With oil nearly $100 a barrel, everyone is clamoring for "energy independence" and a reduction in our reliance on foreign oil. Bryce (Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of Enron) debunks this notion, asserting that none of the alterative or renewable energy sources currently hyped-corn ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, wind and solar power, and coal-to-liquids-will free America from imported fuels. He blasts Republicans, Democrats, the presidential candidates, Al Gore, Robert Redford, environmentalists, and energy analysts for misleading the public about our energy needs. Providing compelling examples, Bryce identifies numerous reasons why the United States cannot wean itself off foreign energy. He posits that we must accept the reality of an increasingly interdependent global energy market and shift our thinking from energy independence to interdependence. Meticulously researched with copious facts-nearly all footnoted-this illuminating and sometimes witty work offers another view of the current state of energy. Recommended for all libraries.
—Eva Lautemann Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

School Library Journal

America's energy discussions contain "far too much religion and far too little science," writes the author, who carefully, gleefully throttles the meaningless rhetoric driving the cry for energy independence. Energy Tribune managing editor and Texas Observer contributor Bryce (Cronies: Oil, the Bushes, and the Rise of Texas, America's Superstate, 2004, etc.) offers mostly convincing arguments that don't require an advanced degree to follow. Our nation is hungry for energy, he notes. Our energy is dominated by oil, no alternative comes close to it in cost and efficiency, and none will for decades to come. We haven't produced enough oil for our needs for half a century; we no longer can, nor ever will again. Bryce starts by systematically debunking grandiose claims made for alternative energy sources. Corn ethanol is his bete noire, a subsidized hoax on the American taxpayer that could never meet more than a fraction of our energy needs. Cellulosic ethanol and coal-to-liquid are both way down the road, he declares; wind and solar, his personal favorites, are fractional producers. In a voice ardent and beseeching, Bryce urges Americans to educate themselves about the world's biggest enterprise, to have at least a modest grasp of thermodynamics, to rationally assess the costs and potential benefits of available resources. That last step includes taking a realistic look at the above alternative fuels, as well as nuclear energy, coal and algae-based biodiesel. A meaningful energy policy requires taking in hand the economic, political and military shenanigans that beset it: cleaning out the pork barrels, engaging rather than bullying the global community, sinking the neocon agenda. For all hisresearch, stark realism and common sense, Bryce can occasionally be crudely nearsighted, as when he dismisses concerns about drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore drilling to supply but a year of Florida's gas needs. High-order muckraking and an excellent primer for addressing the real question: How are we going to handle energy interdependence?

Kirkus Reviews

Politico
“It’s exhortative instead of purely informative. It hammers apart the idea that we really want to be independent of oil. Energy interdependence should be the actual goal for our energy system.

From the Publisher