Simmons: Ships, trains could solve U.S. energy crisis

NEW YORK, Dec 12 (Reuters) – Forget futuristic hybrid cars and solar-powered homes. The trains and river barges that drove the industrial age may be the key to stemming a U.S. energy crisis, according to one sector expert.

Americans have faced rolling blackouts and record fuel prices in recent years as the nation’s aged and overtaxed energy network strained to meet growing demand — and policy makers have had little luck finding solutions.

A simple return to the past may be what is needed to derail the growing U.S. energy problem, banker Matthew Simmons of Simmons and Company International told Reuters in an interview. Shipping goods by train and riverways instead of by truck, for example, could drastically cut fuel use.

“It’s actually pretty simple, but implementation is not simple. You go on a massive switch from the way we transport goods over long distances by truck,” said Simmons.

Reuters