Why did Reagan kill off alternative energy programs and research in the 80's? Why didn't Bush/Clinton revive?

Question

At first I thought it was a liberal smear, but after doing independent research, it turns out that Reagan actually was a moron when it came to securing American energy independence. Among other things, this senile old fool:

-Dismantled the White House solar energy program, and physically removed solar panels from its roof

-Canceled federal research into cellulosic ethanol

-Canceled federal research into biofuels

-Massively reduced funding to scientists working on various aspects of energy independence

-Canceled research funds into wind turbine designs

-Failed to put pressure on Congress to designate ANWR and coastal areas for oil drilling and exploration

Reagan's irresponsible actions really set us back. Combined with the energy incompetence of Bush the Elder, Klintoon, and Bush the Lesser, we now have serious problems.

Why didn't Reagan work hard to secure America's energy independence? Why'd he get into bed with the oil giants instead? Did he secretly hate America or something? This is a serious question.

Answer 1

Because his pals waned money.

Here is Carters plan:

The first principle is that we can have an effective and comprehensive energy policy only if the government takes responsibility for it and if the people understand the seriousness of the challenge and are willing to make sacrifices.

The second principle is that healthy economic growth must continue. Only by saving energy can we maintain our standard of living and keep our people at work. An effective conservation program will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

The third principle is that we must protect the environment. Our energy problems have the same cause as our environmental problems -- wasteful use of resources. Conservation helps us solve both at once.

The fourth principle is that we must reduce our vulnerability to potentially devastating embargoes. We can protect ourselves from uncertain supplies by reducing our demand for oil, making the most of our abundant resources such as coal, and developing a strategic petroleum reserve.

The fifth principle is that we must be fair. Our solutions must ask equal sacrifices from every region, every class of people, every interest group. Industry will have to do its part to conserve, just as the consumers will. The energy producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer.

The sixth principle, and the cornerstone of our policy, is to reduce the demand through conservation. Our emphasis on conservation is a clear difference between this plan and others which merely encouraged crash production efforts. Conservation is the quickest, cheapest, most practical source of energy. Conservation is the only way we can buy a barrel of oil for a few dollars. It costs about $13 to waste it.

The seventh principle is that prices should generally reflect the true replacement costs of energy. We are only cheating ourselves if we make energy artificially cheap and use more than we can really afford.

The eighth principle is that government policies must be predictable and certain. Both consumers and producers need policies they can count on so they can plan ahead. This is one reason I am working with the Congress to create a new Department of Energy, to replace more than 50 different agencies that now have some control over energy.

The ninth principle is that we must conserve the fuels that are scarcest and make the most of those that are more plentiful. We can't continue to use oil and gas for 75 percent of our consumption when they make up seven percent of our domestic reserves. We need to shift to plentiful coal while taking care to protect the environment, and to apply stricter safety standards to nuclear energy.

The tenth principle is that we must start now to develop the new, unconventional sources of energy we will rely on in the next century.

April 18, 1977

Answer 2

TO make oil companies much more money.

Reagan talked a good talk, and tricked America into selling out ideas that were in our best interest.

He not only killed alternative fuel programs, but also deregulated the industry so it could be consolidated to reduce competition.

Reagan made it sound like he was all about making the economy better for America, but what he was really interested in was making it better for the super elite, by allowing them to pay less for labor, have much less competition, and be able to invest without fear of the full repercussions of bad investment decisions.

Answer 3

If there was a viable alternative energy they would.

Answer 4

because politicians never know what the h**l they are doing

Answer 5

He was trying to cut spending.  It didn't work.

Answer 6

Because contrary to what they tell their believers, they don't really care about "saving the planet"; it's just a good liberal buzz-phrase to bamboozle them.

Answer 7

Because oil companies have a lot of money, and politicians are very greedy.

Answer 8

Reagan believed that government was the problem, so he reduced as much government spending as possible. This meant cutting such energy programs among other things.

Answer 9

All the above and then some. Reagan's political platform (and I'm not making this up) was to balance the budget and stop the national debt from rising. That's all he could campaign on. After he was elected he not only ignored his campaign platform but ran the debt even higher. His 35 billion dollar Star War plane didn't help either. Reagen, Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. turned the national debt skyward. When Bush Jr. leaves office the debt will be around 10 trillion and climbing. Maybe that number doesn't mean much to some people, but if you were to start counting now, you wouldn't reach 1 trillion in you're life time and you're children and you're great grand children wouldn't reach that number if they each picked up where the last one left off. As a result, the last 3 republican president have run the United states into total bankruptcy and flushed our children's future down the toilet! When congress wants money they simply turn the printing presses on and print it with nothing to back it up. The gold standard was dropped in 1970 because it could no longed back the dollar. If we went into our basements and did that, we would be arrested for counterfeiting! Congress just makes our dollar worth less legally.

Answer 10

All of that and not one link... lol

Answer 11

Reagan cut government spending in MANY categories.

In the 1980's, the technology was not mature enough either and it did set us back, but not by much

high fuel costs have SPURRED research and even development in areas of alternative energy sources, but now from backyard engineers who are not worried about being scoffed at and can only benefit by thinking outside of the box.

someone recently used a pizza oven!

http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...

Student Invents £20 wind turbine from scrap for 3rd World

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/a...

It's not ALL bad, now is it

Answer 12

Likely because then, like now, it is a waste of money.  There is no use developing something that few will use because it costs four times more then fossil fuels.  When it starts getting to the point that fossil fuels really are running out and prices really are getting high, alternate sources will make sense and the money will be spent and most of it will be by energy companies hoping to stay in business.  

Answer 13

If "alternative energy" is ever going to be successful it has to be economically viable and that will only happen if private industry develops it. Reagan knew that government is not the answer. Our government needs to get out of the way and let private industry go after our own resources. It is common sense, yet we insist on hurting ourselves.

Answer 14

because he knew 26 years later Democrats would get blamed for it.