13-12-07

A recent survey commissioned by financial services and auditing firm Deloitte & Touche USA found that US consumers and energy industry executives agree that dependence on oil from places unfriendly to US interests is a primary concern.
The survey uncovered surprising areas of agreement, as consumers and industry executives have not often agreed in the past on how to solve America's energy challenges, said Gary Adams, vice chairman, US Oil & Gas Leader, Deloitte & Touche.

Some 29 % of oil and gas executives surveyed and 27 % of consumers participating in the survey cited US dependence on energy sources in countries unfriendly to the US as a top concern.
“The majority of the world's oil and gas reserves are located in places many consider unfriendly to the US With the growing trend toward energy resource nationalism, it is easy to understand the anxiety about being reliant on these sources," said Adams.

The second highest concern among both groups is the lack of a realistic energy policy for America. The issue tied for being the greatest concern among industry executives at 29 % and ranked number two among consumers with 18 %.
"Regrettably, most of our national efforts to address long-term energy challenges have been politically inspired, piecemeal, short-term projects that fail to provide reassurance to the industry and consumers," Adams noted. "Clearly, there is a strong appetite for a more coherent and comprehensive national energy policy."

One surprising survey result is that neither consumers nor industry executives reported much concern about energy conservation. A lack of energy conservation was reported as a concern by 9 % of consumers and 6 % of executives.
About 67 % of executives expect companies to allocate less than 20 % of capital costs to funding alternative energy investments, while approximately 55 % of consumers agree that the commitment will be less than 20 %. However, 72 % of consumers surveyed expressed a strong desire for greater investments in developing alternative energy sources.

Source: www.energycurrent.com