In its first event of the year, the Texas Roosevelt Institution hosted a panel discussion on energy policy and the environment Thursday at the Union.
The institution is a nonpartisan, student-run think tank that began at Stanford University after the 2004 presidential election. The organization publishes student-written proposals about public policies that cover a wide array of governmental issues. With affiliates at universities across the nation, the organization has an estimated 7,000 members, according to its Web site.
The panel, which consisted of professors from the McCombs School of Business, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and the Jackson School of Geosciences, said there must be a definite focus in the coming years on developing renewable energy.
David Spence, a UT associate professor of law and regulation, proposed using an energy plan similar to that of President Jimmy Carter’s in the late 1970s, which provided incentives to businesses to find new innovations in technology. He proposed “giving the market a push” with rewards for companies that developed better ways to
provide energy.
Spence said the development of wind turbines is an example of how incentives foster technological progress. He said wind turbines used to have large, slow-turning wings but now the wings are sleeker and more efficient.
“These kind of incentives create efficiency,” he said. “If we had a production tax credit, I think we can at least start this process.”
Ian Duncan, program director of the bureau of economic ecology at UT, said Texas leads the U.S. in the size of its carbon dioxide footprint but said Texas can change course.
“Texas is the best state in the nation positioned to do something about it,” he said, referring to the amount of vast renewable resources in the state.
He said some renewable energy sources, like wind, fail to provide energy in the winter but stressed the need to use these renewable energy sources while they are available. He said scientists predict a sharp decline in the amount of non-renewable energy that will be available after 2050.
“The real energy crisis will be at about 2060, when we don’t have any energy,” he said. “That’s when we fall of the cliff. That’s when we run out of transportation fuels.”
Representatives from College Republicans and University Democrats gave their views on the topics, stressing their presidential candidates’ initiatives.
Ryan Ellis, president of College Republicans, said Sen. John McCain’s plan was an “all-of-the-above approach.” In an effort to spur innovation, McCain has offered a $300 million prize to anyone who can create a car battery that would jump-start powering hybrid vehicles, Ellis said.
Patrick Meaney, member of University Democrats and co-director of ReEnergize Texas, said Sen. Barack Obama favors renewable energy and has created a plan to create 5 million new green jobs. Obama would create a Green Works Project to move America toward usage of green energy and decrease unemployment, Meaney said.
Electrical engineering freshman Stephanie Loepz said after the discussion that she was joining the institution and was surprised to learn about the possibility of using nuclear energy.
“I didn’t know much about the policy,” she said. “Now I’ve come to realize we do need to balance ourselves out with other [energy options].”
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