National Security Think Tanks Call for Shift from Oil

"The (coalition) said the U.S. is facing today a "perfect storm" of strategic, energy, economic and environmental conditions that demand a dramatic reduction in the quantities of imported oil."

Washington, D.C. - October [REA News] Until now, the alternative fuel message has largely been the territory of environmentalists. Now, a coalition of national security/policy think tanks is coming together to promote a shift away from oil, as the best guarantor of global security, prosperity and freedom.

This week, representatives of prominent Washington think tanks and public policy organizations released an Open Letter to Americans and an accompanying Blueprint for energy security called "Set America Free." The document spells out practical steps which can be undertaken over the next four years and beyond to dramatically improve America's energy security.

Since September 11, it has become increasingly evident that many of America's security and economic problems stem from its dependence on oil imported from unstable parts of the world. The groups said the U.S. is facing today a "perfect storm" of strategic, energy, economic and environmental conditions that demand a dramatic reduction in the quantities of imported oil. This will no doubt be a daunting task facing the next President over the next four years and beyond.

Members of the group call upon America's leaders to pledge to adopt the plan, with a view to rapidly expanding fuel choice in the U.S. transportation sector beyond petroleum while exploiting currently available technologies and infrastructures. If the plan is carried out in full, U.S. oil imports would drop by as much as 50 percent.

Representatives of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS), the Center for Security Policy, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, the Hudson Institute, The Committee on the Present Danger, National Defense Council Foundation and others who have endorsed the plan agree that, with appropriate vision and leadership, the next President can make major strides to greatly diminish the U.S. transportation sector's consumption of oil.

These groups are not the only think tanks to call for a shift against oil. This past week the Rocky Mountain Institute authored their own report calling for decreased dependence on oil. Both reports can be downloaded at the following two links.

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