Cover STORY
Energy Workforce | FOR JOB OPPORTUNITIES, VISIT www.PennEnergyJOBS.com | Winter 2013 3
Key Considerations for
U.S. Energy Policy
By Charles Dewhurst, leader of the Natural
Resources practice at BDO USA, LLP
IN March 2012, when President Obama addressed Prince George’s Community College in Maryland, he
stated that the United States “need[s] an
energy strategy for the future – an all-of-the-above strategy for the 21st century
that develops every source of Ameri-can-made energy.” Later, in June 2013,
Obama delivered a speech on climate
change at Georgetown University, applauding the United States’ progress in
the clean energy sector and its strides toward energy independence. Since 2012,
the U.S. energy industry has certainly
made much progress toward boosting
its production and exportation of energy
resources, but regulatory and political
uncertainties persist and could threaten
future growth. Developing a comprehensive and cohesive national energy
policy now will help us capitalize on
the momentum of the U.S. energy sector and ensure its future growth. This
policy should be forward-looking, aiming to secure U.S. energy resources and
capabilities for years to come.
While renewable energy often seems
to be at odds with more traditional sources
like oil and gas, this dynamic is counter-
productive. The United States requires
regulations and policies that allow these
energy sources to complement, rather
than contradict, each other. There are
benefts and drawbacks to every form of
energy, yet each has an important role to
play in the United States’ energy industry
and economy overall. Between now and
2040, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts that 31 percent of
new U.S. electricity-generating capacity will come from renewables, while
natural gas will account for 63 percent.
While renewable energy may be more
environmentally friendly, its infrastructure can be relatively costly to build and
operate, and is usually located in geographically remote areas that cannot service large, urban areas easily. Moreover,
many forms of alternative energy are, by
their very nature, intermittent and subject to occasional interruptions. At the
same time, traditional sources like oil
and gas are much less expensive to produce and excellent at providing a consistent supply of energy, but also have
a greater environmental impact. U.S.
energy policy should refect the need for
a variety of energy sources to operate and
fourish concurrently in order to support
the country’s overall needs.
Coal also has a role to play in bolster-
ing the United States’ energy economy.
While the coal industry has been criticized for its greenhouse gas emissions, it
is still a dominant player in the energy
sector. According to the EIA, U.S. estimated recoverable coal reserves are the
largest in the world, and our exports are
rising as other countries, such as China,
struggle to meet their growing energy
needs. The EIA reports that from 2000-
2010, an average of fve percent of U.S.-
produced coal was exported each year. In
2011, that number doubled to 10 percent,
and it has been growing since. The EIA
notes that, despite coal serving as the
largest source of power generation for the
United States for more than six decades,
