Robert Bryce, Managing Editor of Energy Tribune and Rod Adams talk about Amory Lovins, ethanol, and the way that fossil fuel interests may benefit from anti-nuclear activism.
Robert Bryce, the Managing Editor of Energy Tribune is an energy journalist who likes to do math. I like this guy A LOT.
A November 2007 article titled Guru or Fakir? Amory Lovins is America’s favorite green energy advocate. Does his rhetoric match reality? really caught my eye. In about 400 words, Robert discusses a number of different predictions that Mr. Lovins has made during his 30+ years as an energy writer and prescriber of energy solutions and traces how each of those predictions or prescriptions has turned out.
We also discussed ethanol and its history as an important farm program and provider of profits for ADM – while not making much impact on America’s thirst for fossil fuel.
As we talked, I tried to gradually slip in my theory that there is a reason that Lovins and biofuels are often supported by well heeled environmental groups – each of them are actually quite beneficial to the interests of established fossil fuel suppliers.
Though he has supported a number of oil alternatives during his career, including coal, natural gas, wind, solar, biomass and, most famously, conservation, Lovins has consistently opposed nuclear power. By doing so, he has fought against the only technology that has ever taken significant markets away from coal, oil and natural gas.
Biofuel consumption also does not hurt the fossil fuel suppliers – it is an energy intensive business itself and generally only produces a modest amount of excess energy compared to the amount needed to produce it.
I think you will enjoy the interview. If you do, you might also want to read some or all of the books that Robert has written about energy:
- Cronies: Oil, the Bushes, and the Rise of Texas, America’s Superstate (Hardcover)
- Pipe Dreams: Greed Ego and the Death of Enron
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
Bruno Garcia says
January 8, 2008 at 4:54 AMhello Adam
im wrtting to you again because today a receveid an email from a friend of mine also a pro nuclear green like me.
he asked me what i could tell him about Accelerator-Driven Subcritical Nuclear Reactor.
but i dont know this type of reactor could you talk about some time
tanks
kepp up the good work
Bruno Garcia
Simon says
January 23, 2008 at 12:03 AMRob, great episode, thanks to both you and Robert. Please do something with you sound, it was very hard to listen. Robert sound was perfect, but your was too low in level and frequency.
Thanks again and keep on the good work.
simon