The Atomic Show #077 – Robert Bryce, Managing Editor, Energy Tribune

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 (Duration: 1:03:04 — 21.7MB)

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS