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6-26 Ethics & Social Responsibility [CH 6

President Clinton (D) placed off-limits to development in 1998. This presidential act
limited energy supply which effectually increased consumer energy costs.
Automotive engineers are already developing vehicles that run on natural gas, or
the hybrid (gas/electric) car, and the development of the hydrogen engine, whose
exhaust is water—a clean environmental vapor. We see the development of the all-
electric vehicles by Tesla and other manufacturers. There is more engineering work
to be done on battery life and power to extend the driving time of the vehicle and
shorten the recharging time. Though it is true that an all-electric vehicle does not use

‘fossil fuels’ directly to power it, but the electricity produced is more cost effectively
produced through coal powered electricity generating plants or nuclear power
electricity generating plants. Reports indicate that coal power plants generate 1
kilowatt of electricity for 3.2 cents, and nuclear power is even less, whereas SunShots
reports that utility-scale photovoltaic solar power has dropped from 28 cents per
kilowatt-hour to 6 cents per kilowatt hour.
Components of the Energy Problem. The complex issue of energy can be divided
into its short-run and long-run components. In the short run, the problem is one of
conservation conservation—the preservation restrictions of alleged declining energy resources.
Preservation of declining Many conservation programs have been proposed or implemented, but their success
energy resources. has been mixed. Some programs have not been as effective as people had hoped;

others have been ignored by the public. For example, the 55 miles-per-hour speed
limit was abandoned partially because of public displeasure with the speed law in
western states. People do like to drive fast on the Interstates.
Yet, in personal use, we could make fewer trips to the grocery store, we can
carpool to work. Business can combine shipments with other companies to share
transportation costs, encourage employees to carpool or take public transportation.
Increased costs of a barrel of oil brings conservation measures to the forefront.
The emphasis to finding long-term solutions will revolve around two questions:

1. How can we economically develop alternative energy resources?
2. How are our individual and corporate reliance on energy
resources coordinated with other societal goals?
This does not suggest that there does not exist alternative energy resources,
whereas the use of wind power and photovoltaic energy are current developments.

There are those who would rid the nation of truckers hauling freight across the nation
using diesel trucks. If that were to happen, how would fruits and vegetable from
California be able to arrive in New York or Chicago markets in a wholesome state
for the consumer? Should we scrap internal combustion engines used in ocean going
vessels hauling exports from nation to nation and return to relying on sail power for
shipping? A modern ocean freighter can cross the Pacific Ocean in 15 days and the
Atlantic in 8 days. Windjammers, those fast clipper ships, such as the famous Cutty
Sark, crossed the Atlantic, port to port, in 61 days; a round trip could take as little as
19 weeks, allowing for loading and offloading in port.

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