Energy conservation: Increasing efficiency with more carrot than stick

President Barack Obama must be feeling snake bit in his efforts to explore alternatives to our reliance on foreign oil. A year ago, after announcing his willingness to consider allowing more offshore drilling, we had the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This year, after the president suggested developing more nuclear energy in his State of the Union address, we are now witnessing the nuclear power plant crisis in Fukushima, Japan.