Robert Bryce (writer)
Encyclopedia
Robert Bryce is an American
author and journalist who lives in Austin, Texas
. His articles on energy, politics, and other topics have appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Counterpunch, and Atlantic Monthly.
, Energy Tribune. Bryce is now a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute
, a conservative think tank. He regularly appears on TV and radio shows ranging from the BBC to PBS and CNBC to Fox Business.
He began working for the Institute for Energy Research
in October 2007 and left in February 2008. He left the Institute because "my position as a fellow with the think tank which began in October 2007, was diverting attention away from my main goal, which is to have an open and honest discussion of global and domestic energy issues". Bryce has written frequently about the infeasibility of the United States becoming energy independent.
In March 2009, he testified before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to discuss the limits inherent in renewable energy, saying "no matter how you do the calculations, renewable energy by itself, can not, will not, be able to replace hydrocarbons over the next two to three decades, and that’s a conservative estimate."
In an opinion piece
(op-ed) in the Wall Street Journal in March 2009 he denounced the energy polices of former United States President George W. Bush
and the current president Barack Obama
, claiming their rush for renewable energy
will not be sufficient to cover the country's future energy needs.
He took issue with James Hansen
— who wrote in The Guardian
that "coal is the single greatest threat to civilization and all life on our planet" and that trains carrying coal
were "Death Trains" — responding (also in The Guardian), "Hansen doesn't offer a single idea as to what the world will use to replace the coal that he abhors. Coal currently provides about 28% of the world's total energy use. And it is the cheapest source of fuel for electric power
production. That's why developing countries – China and India in particular – are using so much of it".
Bryce is critical of the double standard being applied to bird kills by industrial facilities. Oil producers and electric utilities have repeatedly been charged and fined under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for killing birds. But Bryce points out that wind-power
companies are not being prosecuted even though they routinely violate the MBTA, which is one of America's oldest environmental laws. In the Wall Street Journal, he wrote, "Yet there is one group of energy producers that are not being prosecuted for killing birds: wind-power companies. And wind-powered turbine
s are killing a vast number of birds every year. A July 2008 study of the wind farm
at Altamont Pass
California
, estimated that its turbines kill an average of 80 golden eagle
s per year. The study, funded by the Alameda County Community Development Agency, also estimated that about 10,000 birds—nearly all protected by the migratory bird act—are being whacked every year at Altamont". He also wrote about the health problems caused by low-frequency noise emitted from wind turbines.
In May 2010, he published an op-ed
in the New York Times that underscored the difficulties associated with large-scale carbon capture and sequestration. In June 2010, in an article for Slate he expressed his dismay at the corn ethanol
industry's attempts to use the blowout of the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico
as an excuse to gain more subsidies.
Bryce is an advocate for increased shale gas
consumption in the US. In a June 13, 2011 piece published in the Wall Street Journal he wrote that the "shale revolution now underway is the best news for North American energy since the discovery of the East Texas Field in 1930. We can't afford to let fear of a proven technology stop the much-needed resurgence of American industry."
and climate change
. He frequently points out that the climate "alarmists" have no credible plans to replace the hydrocarbon
s that now provide the overwhelming majority of the world's energy. In 'Power Hungry: The Myths of "Green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future
, Bryce writes:
In an October 6, 2011 op-ed published in the "Wall Street Journal" and entitled "Five truths about climate change" he wrote:
Bryce frequently writes about "N2N" that is, natural gas to nuclear, as being the logical way forward.
complaining about Bryce. It asked the paper's public editor, Arthur Brisbane, to address the issue of how op-ed writers are identified and asked that the paper be more transparent with regard to any financial support the op-ed writers may get from various industries.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and journalist who lives in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. His articles on energy, politics, and other topics have appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Counterpunch, and Atlantic Monthly.
Career
Bryce has been writing about the energy business for more than two decades. He spent 12 years writing for The Austin Chronicle. In 2006, he began working as the managing editor of the online magazineOnline magazine
An online magazine shares some features with a blog and also with online newspapers, but can usually be distinguished by its approach to editorial control...
, Energy Tribune. Bryce is now a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute
Manhattan Institute
The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research is a conservative, market-oriented think tank established in New York City in 1978 by Antony Fisher and William J...
, a conservative think tank. He regularly appears on TV and radio shows ranging from the BBC to PBS and CNBC to Fox Business.
He began working for the Institute for Energy Research
Institute for Energy Research
The Institute for Energy Research , is a Houston, Texas-based company that conducts intensive research and analysis on the functions, operations, and government regulation of global energy markets....
in October 2007 and left in February 2008. He left the Institute because "my position as a fellow with the think tank which began in October 2007, was diverting attention away from my main goal, which is to have an open and honest discussion of global and domestic energy issues". Bryce has written frequently about the infeasibility of the United States becoming energy independent.
In March 2009, he testified before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to discuss the limits inherent in renewable energy, saying "no matter how you do the calculations, renewable energy by itself, can not, will not, be able to replace hydrocarbons over the next two to three decades, and that’s a conservative estimate."
Writing on the energy industry
Bryce writes regularly about energy and power systems. In 2007, he criticized the dangers of cheap oil.In an opinion piece
Op-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
(op-ed) in the Wall Street Journal in March 2009 he denounced the energy polices of former United States President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and the current president Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, claiming their rush for renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
will not be sufficient to cover the country's future energy needs.
He took issue with James Hansen
James Hansen
James E. Hansen heads the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, a part of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. He has held this position since 1981...
— who wrote in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
that "coal is the single greatest threat to civilization and all life on our planet" and that trains carrying coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
were "Death Trains" — responding (also in The Guardian), "Hansen doesn't offer a single idea as to what the world will use to replace the coal that he abhors. Coal currently provides about 28% of the world's total energy use. And it is the cheapest source of fuel for electric power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
production. That's why developing countries – China and India in particular – are using so much of it".
Bryce is critical of the double standard being applied to bird kills by industrial facilities. Oil producers and electric utilities have repeatedly been charged and fined under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for killing birds. But Bryce points out that wind-power
Wind power
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....
companies are not being prosecuted even though they routinely violate the MBTA, which is one of America's oldest environmental laws. In the Wall Street Journal, he wrote, "Yet there is one group of energy producers that are not being prosecuted for killing birds: wind-power companies. And wind-powered turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
s are killing a vast number of birds every year. A July 2008 study of the wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
at Altamont Pass
Altamont Pass
Altamont Pass, formerly Livermore Pass, is a mountain pass in the Diablo Range between Livermore in the Livermore Valley and Tracy in the San Joaquin Valley in Northern California...
California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, estimated that its turbines kill an average of 80 golden eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
s per year. The study, funded by the Alameda County Community Development Agency, also estimated that about 10,000 birds—nearly all protected by the migratory bird act—are being whacked every year at Altamont". He also wrote about the health problems caused by low-frequency noise emitted from wind turbines.
In May 2010, he published an op-ed
Op-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
in the New York Times that underscored the difficulties associated with large-scale carbon capture and sequestration. In June 2010, in an article for Slate he expressed his dismay at the corn ethanol
Corn ethanol
Corn ethanol is ethanol produced from corn as a biomass through industrial fermentation, chemical processing and distillation. Corn is the main feedstock used for producing ethanol fuel in the United States and it is mainly used as an oxygenate to gasoline in the form of low-level blends, and to a...
industry's attempts to use the blowout of the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
as an excuse to gain more subsidies.
Bryce is an advocate for increased shale gas
Shale gas
Shale gas is natural gas produced from shale. Shale gas has become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States over the past decade, and interest has spread to potential gas shales in the rest of the world...
consumption in the US. In a June 13, 2011 piece published in the Wall Street Journal he wrote that the "shale revolution now underway is the best news for North American energy since the discovery of the East Texas Field in 1930. We can't afford to let fear of a proven technology stop the much-needed resurgence of American industry."
Writing on climate change
Bryce defines himself as an agnostic about global warmingGlobal warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
and climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
. He frequently points out that the climate "alarmists" have no credible plans to replace the hydrocarbon
Hydrocarbon
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons from which one hydrogen atom has been removed are functional groups, called hydrocarbyls....
s that now provide the overwhelming majority of the world's energy. In 'Power Hungry: The Myths of "Green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future
Power Hungry: The Myths of "Green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future
Power Hungry: The Myths of "Green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future is a book by Robert Bryce about energy, mainly from a United States perspective.It was published in 2010 by PublicAffairs...
, Bryce writes:
- "The key issue about global warming – and the one that precious few are willing to discuss in depth – is this: if we are going to agree that carbon dioxide is bad, then what? That question leads directly to two more:
(1) Where are the substitutes for hydrocarbons? Hydrocarbons now provide about 88% of the world’s total energy needs. Replacing them means coming up with an energy form that can supply 200 million barrels of oil equivalent per day.
(2) Increasing energy consumption equals higher living standards. Always. Everywhere. Given that last fact, how can we expect the people of the world – all 6.7 billion of them, to use less energy?
The answer to that question is just as obvious: we can’t. The developed countries of the world can talk all they like about solar panels and wind turbines, but what the world’s poor desperately need – and quickly – are common fuels like kerosene, propane and gasoline. And of course, they want reliable electricity."
In an October 6, 2011 op-ed published in the "Wall Street Journal" and entitled "Five truths about climate change" he wrote:
- "The science is not settled, not by a long shot. Last month, scientists at CERNCERNThe European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
, the prestigious high-energy physics lab in Switzerland, reported that neutrinoNeutrinoA neutrino is an electrically neutral, weakly interacting elementary subatomic particle with a half-integer spin, chirality and a disputed but small non-zero mass. It is able to pass through ordinary matter almost unaffected...
s might—repeat, might—travel faster than the speed of light. If serious scientists can question Einstein's theory of relativity, then there must be room for debate about the workings and complexities of the Earth's atmosphere".
- "It's time to move the debate past the dogmatic view that carbon dioxide is evil and toward a world view that accepts the need for energy that is cheap, abundant and reliable".
Bryce frequently writes about "N2N" that is, natural gas to nuclear, as being the logical way forward.
Controversy
In October 2011 a petition was addressed to The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
complaining about Bryce. It asked the paper's public editor, Arthur Brisbane, to address the issue of how op-ed writers are identified and asked that the paper be more transparent with regard to any financial support the op-ed writers may get from various industries.
Published books
- Power Hungry: The Myths of "Green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the FuturePower Hungry: The Myths of "Green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the FuturePower Hungry: The Myths of "Green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future is a book by Robert Bryce about energy, mainly from a United States perspective.It was published in 2010 by PublicAffairs...
, published April 2010 by PublicAffairs, ISBN 978-1586487898. Bryce argues that the practical potential of green energy using the currently employed technology is greatly exaggerated and that natural gas and nuclear power are the only realistic alternatives to coal and oil. A review published by the Wall Street Journal called the book "unsentimental, unsparing, and impassioned; and if you'll excuse the pun, it is precisely the kind of journalism we need to hold truth to power." - Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of Energy IndependenceGusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of Energy IndependenceGusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of Energy Independence is a book by Robert Bryce which was released in 2008 and is published by PublicAffairs.-Synopsis:...
, published by PublicAffairs in March 2008, ISBN 978-1586483210. In this book, Bryce focuses on the desire for energy independence. The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
describes it as "a savage attack on the concept of energy independence and the most popular technologies currently being promoted to achieve it". Kirkus ReviewsKirkus ReviewsKirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
' review states, "In a voice ardent and beseeching, Bryce urges Americans to educate themselves about the world’s biggest enterprise, to have at least a modest grasp of thermodynamics, to rationally assess the costs and potential benefits of available resources. - Cronies: Oil, the Bushes, and the rise of Texas, America's Superstate, published by PublicAffairs in 2004, ISBN 978-1586481889.
- Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of EnronPipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of EnronPipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of Enron is a book by Robert Bryce and published in 2002 by PublicAffairs with an introduction by Molly Ivins.-Synopsis:...
published by PublicAffairs in 2002, ISBN 978-1586482015.