Daily Princetonian - Holt: 'Drilling Is Only A Sideshow,' Invest In Energy R&D

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Daily Princetonian - Holt: 'Drilling Is Only A Sideshow,' Invest In Energy R&D

"The greatest insult to our planet and our world economy is the way we produce and use energy," Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) said in a talk sponsored by Students United for a Responsible Global Environment in Guyot Hall on Wednesday.

Holt, whose congressional district includes Princeton, is a physicist by training and served as assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory for nine years. He spoke about the future of energy and how society as a whole is responsible for its efficient use.

Conservation is a lot more than an issue of morality, Holt said, as the wasteful use of energy is detrimental to the economy. He added that people should view energy as a unique economic opportunity.

"We are never going to produce enough oil to shift the world's supply, and we are never going to be energy independent at the current rate," Holt said. "Drilling is only a sideshow from the challenge to move toward sustainable energy sources."

Currently, billions of people aspire to the American standard of living, Holt said, explaining that meeting this standard worldwide will require a doubling or tripling of energy resources, which is not possible at the moment.

"We need to not only use our energy more efficiently," Holt added, "but also create different mixes of energy generation that will allow us to sustain not only the current population but the growing population as well."

Holt, who received his bachelor's degree in physics from Carleton College and a master's and Ph.D. from New York University, proposed several initiatives that the United States should undertake to achieve this level of efficient energy production.

"We definitely need to be selling sustainable technologies to the world if we want to have an economically advantageous position," he said. "We need to focus on sustaining a smart, well-trained workforce and a flow of ideas from research and development. More investment in research and development is a key component in the future of energy."

Holt advocated an annual contribution of $20 billion toward energy research and development, adding that he feels Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) energy plan is too "timid" because it would not allow American society to expand at the desired rate.

"Progress in energy development will have many benefits," Holt said. "Investing in energy can easily create five million jobs, and a new bill that I have introduced to Congress proposes to cut energy costs in school districts, [which are] the second-highest costs for school districts nationwide," he added.

Though he said he believes Congress is falling short of what it needs to do in the long term, Holt added that he is proud of the progress it has made in the last 18 months.

"Congress has passed the first increase in auto efficiency standards in three decades, and I can only hope that this progress will continue for the sake of our future quality of life," Holt noted.

Holt also offered some encouraging words to the University community. "I am very pleased with the interest Princeton has shown in making its research practical," he said.

He especially lauded the efforts of President Tilghman. "[She] has done a great job in encouraging more application and implementation, and these initiatives can truly make a difference in both New Jersey and the country as a whole."

Students said they were engaged by the content of the lecture.

"I was really interested in the ideas that he had to offer, and I really believe that we need to focus on efficient energy-generating techniques in order to sustain our society," Alex Landon '12 said.

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