COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

The question of energy ... and the question of media priorities. Why Are We Hearing About This From The British Press?

Earlier this week, the British newspaper The Guardian reported that an American panel of retired three and four-star generals is calling for a 30% reduction in U.S. oil consumption to mitigate the 'significant national security threat' posed by 'our reliance on this single commodity.'

The new report by the Center for Naval Analyses' Military Advisory Board (MAB) urges the government to 'take swift and aggressive action to reduce our use of oil' and 'develop a comprehensive energy roadmap or strategic plan to enable consistent and strategic energy policies and investments.' The former military leaders presented their findings at two briefings for members of Congress on Wednesday.

But the report has been entirely ignored by the major U.S. newspapers and television networks. Only CNN.com and a handful of defense and clean energy blogs have followed The Guardian's lead.

Evidently, the American media has been too busy inventing clean energy 'scandals' to take notice of this important story.

Download the report here