The US needs new sources and more efficient use
of energy systems.
The Constitution authorizes the State Dept to do other things,
and the Patent Office should obey the Congress and allow citizens
to their inventions (per Article I).
Invent away.
Are you referring to the enviro-wackos laughable attempts to create serious wattage from bio-gas and the like? I don't blame the Bush admin for the appropriate level of scorn they have applied to the infantile approach of the greenies. The return in wattage per dollar spent is scandalous.
We already have the answer: nuclear power plants. The only problem is that they take a long time to build, and the crunch is sure to come before ANY solution, even small, rapid build plants (like coal and natural gas plants) could be built.
But Clinton, Gore and Richardson knew that throughout the course of their stay in DC. With all the data available to them, and the length of time required remedy the problem, is there any sincere doubt that it was arranged on purpose - driven by a byzantine, malthusian view of our society's demolition. It's a slow bullet, fired years ago, and we have yet to count the damage that a chronic series of power outages and shortages will cause.