At the beginning of the current Bush administration we heard a lot about an "energy crisis," in terms reminiscent of the 1970s. Big shortages ahead, we were told. Higher gas prices. Blackouts, brownouts. The answer, according to the administration's energy plan, which also had a somewhat retro feel to it: more. More coal, more oil, more nukes. There was only one drawback to the plan, which, like so much else that was being bruited about before September 11, seems like an echo from another era: it didn't address the two fundamental energy problems we face now and will continue to face for a long time.

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