I think you won't be surprised to hear that I disagree with many of your premises, and am therefore unwilling to argue on your terms. I don't agree that environmentalists are creating problems, but rather trying to stave off problems created by others. Sure, lots of us have a plan: in essence, it's to scale a lot of things back to reasonable, manageable proportions. Not quite to revert to 1850, but to cut way back on profligacy and self-indulgence. However, this sort of plan is so foreign to a lot of people that their minds dismiss it at once and it appears to be no plan at all. I realize such a plan will never be accepted until it is forced on people by circumstances. We are incapable of rationally accepting the sacrifices needed to put ourselves into such a position rather that being put into it willy nilly.
You say energy demand will only increase in the future. Well, what we demand is one thing; what we get is not necessarily the same thing. Children often demand things which are not available, not affordable, or not good for them, and if their parents are any good, they don't get them. People can demand to have ever increasing amounts of energy lavished upon them, but if it just isn't there, they can either flail around in a destructive tantrum or go without. So no, I will not acknowledge we'll be "needing" more electricity in the future. What does "needing" imply? Keeping us alive, keeping us fed? I don't think so. I think you mean "desiring" more electricity, not "needing" it.
I keep hearing about the need for new refineries. Are you saying we have petroleum piling up unrefined because of the lack of refineries? I haven't noticed any gasoline scarcity whatsoever. No shortage of any petroleum product. Anyone can still buy just as much as they want, as long as they pay through the nose for it. Would more refineries make oil cheaper? I think not.
As for the drilling, I think it's been established that US reserves have been pretty well shot, that even if the small remaining fraction was developed like mad starting today, the relative trickle that would emerge in ten years or so would be insufficient to make much of a difference in anything. I have never seen any analysis of the issue that suggests otherwise. And really, if we haven't already essentially replaced gasoline vehicles in ten years, I think our economy will already have ground to a halt as transportation costs soar to triple what they already are, if not worse. So no, I don't acknowledge that we need new domestic sources of oil, at least none that actually exist. That's just a canard that people like Bush use to try to get a few more billion dollars into the pockets of his buddies, or to quiet public panic by doing something meaningless but which sounds good.
Oh, and I simply do not believe that oil companies are capable of (or interested in) drilling in ANWR or offshore without creating a mess. Whatever they say about it is meaningless. They will say anything to get to do what they want. The next time one of their platforms was wrecked by a hurricane or a ship collision they'd just say, "Oh dear, who could have predicted such a terrible accident?" All that in exchange for no meaningful benefit. Your assertions leave me unmoved.
You keep putting your opinions and assumptions forth as realities which others must also acknowledge if a meaningful discussion is to be had. I don't see it that way. I see the realities imposed on us by the limitations of the world, not by the "demands" of a spoiled people.
Nuclear plants: I'm not averse to having more of them. But where? I'm sure you're aware of the huge Palo Verde plant just west of Phoenix. I'm not in favor of dotting the desert with more nuclear plants which will only hasten the mindless growth of these ridiculous desert cities which will soon be screaming for water which doesn't exist within hundreds or thousands of miles. If nuclear plants are so very safe, it seems the place for them would be right in the cities they serve, cities with access to local water.
Fusion reactors: I notice these are rarely mentioned in the current discussion of energy options. Obviously this is because they don't exist and have no prospect of existing in any foreseeable time frame.
I would like to see each house become a self-sufficient energy producer, whether through solar, wind, or even fuel cells, though the self-sufficiency part is elusive with them since most houses don't have a source of free hydrogen. I would like to see everyone driving around in electric cars charged by these sources. I don't care if such cars are small or slow or don't look like much. I would even like to be able to cross town on an electric streetcar, such as the ones that existed even in my small city before the cars took over. Whether any of this will come to pass remains to be seen. I would prefer it to tallow candles and horses and buggies, but the way things are going we might wind up with those sooner or later.
I have already lost many freedoms and options, losses imposed by energy prices and by the weakness of our economy. These result in me consuming less, and they harm nobody else, except for those who miss seeing my smiling face due to my inability to travel. I would like to reverse all that, but it may well be that my ability to flit around at will was a product of unique, transient conditions which will never return. If so, I'll get along as best as I can and watch as others also adapt to the new circumstances with varying degrees of grace and equanimity.