The problem isn't energy, it's oil

Big difference, says Joe Cannon, president of the Fuel Freedom Foundation, in response to Elizabeth Kolbert's piece about energy prices. He adds that conservation measures, while important, will not bring down the price of crude. The foundation is described on its website as "a non-partisan campaign dedicated to breaking our oil addiction with cheaper, cleaner, American-made replacement fuels by removing barriers to fuel competition." More from Cannon:

Four American-made fuels are readily available today that are cheaper and cleaner than oil--natural gas, methanol (made from natural gas or garbage), ethanol, and electricity. Natural gas, methanol and ethanol are currently priced at the equivalent of about $2 a gallon or lower. Brazil's transportation system is now based on ethanol and China is experimenting with a methanol-based transportation system. We must continue to develop new fuel, engine and battery technologies, and engage in environmentally responsible oil and gas exploration. But the only way to bring down prices Americans pay at the pump is to open up the markets so that alternative fuels can compete on equal footing with gasoline."