The Wall Street Journal ran a front-page article last week profiling the rebels who were sabotaging oil infrastructure in the Nigerian river delta. They aren’t anti-American — they’re fighting the central government. But the effect is the same. During a period when energy supplies are incredibly tight around the world, rebels in the most obscure trouble spots have the ability to push up the global price of petroleum.
What does that have to do with Virginia? Plenty. As much as the United States as a nation is vulnerable to disruptions in global oil supplies, Virginia is even more vulnerable. That fact seems irrefutable in light of information passed along by reader Larry Gross. Two data points:
- Even by the porcine standards of the United States, Virginians are energy hogs, judging by a chart prepared by the California Energy Commission. Americans consumed 464 gallons of gasoline per capita in 2004. Virginians consumed 527 gallons — more than 13 percent more.
- In a survey of the vulnerability of the 50 largest U.S. cities to oil price shocks, “Washington, D.C.” scored fairly well at 11th best prepared. But Virginia Beach (Hampton Roads) ranked 46th! And the good news for Washington isn’t as good as it seems. If the authors of the SustainLane study had considered Northern Virginia separately from the District of Columbia, I’m quite certain the region would have scored even worse.
The General Assembly passed an energy bill this year which sought to improve Virginia’s energy supplies. That’s fine. Increasing domestic energy supplies and diversifying our foreign sources of supply are good ideas. But that’s only part of the solution. The piece the General Assembly neglects is conservation…. which means finding ways to get Virginians to drive less.
Unfortunately, while the General Assembly seeks to stabilize energy supplies on the one hand, it seeks to compound our dependence upon imported foreign petroleum on the other. Confronted with the rising cost of asphalt, the Senate response has been: Raise taxes and spend whatever it takes. Confronted with a steady escalation in Vehicle Miles Driven, the Senate response has been: Build more roads… and while we’re at it, throw some money at mass transit, too, because it makes us look progressive, but mostly spend the money on roads.
