Stephen Hadley on Oil Shockwave

Former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, who played that role in the Oil Shockwave war game simulation, discusses the scenario in this interview with energyNOW! anchor Thalia Assuras.

Hadley describes the simulation as a "cram course" on the issues of energy and foreign oil dependence. He says it can get more people involved and aware of the issues because it dramatizes them so people can grapple with the issues themselves.

Hadley dismisses the nation that the nation has choice between being green and using oil. He says Americans know that alternative energy will take time to develop, and the economy needs to grow in the interim. He says Americans need to develop more domestic oil and use natural gas as a bridge fuel until alternative fuels can be developed.

Hadley defines energy security as a source of energy on which we can rely. He says the problem with oil is that much of it comes from places that are politically unstable or hostile to the United States. He believes U.S. allies in the Western Hemisphere, such as Canada and Mexico, are good sources. A tight market, with limited spare capacity, he says, gives hostile or unstable countries enormous leverage.

The problem with crises, Hadley says, is that while they are going on, options are limited or constrained. He says a crisis can be needed to draw people's attention to an issue, but during the crisis, there are not a lot of options for dealing with it. He says Americans need to either anticipate a crisis and pit in place a set of measures to avoid that crisis; or formulate a plan as a result of a crisis and get the American people committed to that plan. The problem with the second option, he says is that there will be hardship between the crisis and the time when the plan pays dividends.

As to whether the planning has already begun, Hadley says there are pieces that exist, but he believes the challenge is getting national leaders to commit to them in a bipartisan way and turn them into a comprehensive plan that the American people can support.