U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu and US
Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced
today that the two agencies, along with the Army Corps of
Engineers, will cooperate more closely and align priorities to
support the development of environmentally sustainable
hydropower.
Estimated energy demand is charted to grow by almost 50% in the next 20 years.
The United States makes up 5% of the world's population and accounts for 25% of total energy use.
Today’s challenges of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while meeting the country’s steadily rising demand for electricity make it essential for legislatures and public utility commissions to shift their focus toward mechanisms that make demand reduction as profitable for utilities as increasing supply. (Source: Institute for 21st Century Energy)
Public policies such as appliance and vehicle efficiency standards and building codes are responsible for at least 20% of the improvement in the US's energy intensity--energy use per unit of GDP. (Source: Institute for 21st Century Energy)
Crude oil, taxes, refining, distribution and marking are the four main components that make up the retail price of a gallon of gasoline. (Source: EIA)
