US ENERGY POLICY CHALLENGES  R estricted access to crude oil resources around the world  E nergy alternatives not robust enough and too expensive  C onservation versus consumption issues not managed  O il demand exceeds global supply  R eserves depleting faster than new production  D iscovery rate of giant oil fields has declined sharply      O PEC producers limiting crude oil reserves development  I neffective energy policies from US Congress  L ack of leadership from string of US presidents	A Geoscientist’s Real-World View of our Energy Challenges- Long-Term Solutions to Preserve & Protect Our Environment ENERGY DEMAND & HIGH PRICES We offer straight talk that defines the most important economic event of our time; production plateaus of global conventional crude oil with demand and supply constraints that create skyrocketing prices and now threaten our economy. THE ERA OF CHEAP ENERGY IS OVER The United States leads consumer nations using 25% of the world’s oil supply with just 4% of the world’s population. We need practical solutions while we develop alternative solutions that produce clean energy sufficient to support our economy.		Sustainable Practices    Essential to Combat Greenhouse Gas Levels Global Warming is almost beyond control and we need action ECONOMIC GROWTH & EMISSIONS The issues seem clear enough both here at home and internationally. Growth advocates in the US now depend on unconventional fuels, which create even higher amounts of greenhouse gases. We lack the ability to control the nasty emissions from electric power utilities burning coal & petroleum products. RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES Everyone wants more renewable energy but the big development programs are not there; nor are the incentives. Oil & gas companies cannot make the shift to energy companies despite calls by investors. We need the energy companies helping manage the transition to clean fuels.