For decades, the proponents of so-called green or alternative energy sources have bemoaned the United States' alleged "dependence on foreign oil" as a chief rallying cry to fire up the average citizen. Americans are very reluctant to pay higher electricity and gasoline prices for abstract concepts such as "fighting global warming," but they sure don't like having to "fight wars in the Middle East for oil" either. In this context, the recent report from the International Energy Agency--which predicts that North America will become a net oil exporter by 2030--should have been cheered by these critics of "dependence on foreign oil." But predictably, they immediately pooh-poohed the report, showing that this debate was never about "foreign oil" or "hostile regimes," but instead it was about the desire of some groups to fundamentally transform the U.S. energy infrastructure.
