Fossil Fuel vs. Renewable Energy: Which is More Environmentally Safe?
Cassandra Bohaychyk
ENG-122
Professor Welsh
June 23, 2013

Fossil Fuel vs. Renewable Energy: Which is More Economical and Environmentally Safe?

While both have vital uses in the U.S, oil energy and renewable energy are pitted against each other as the main focuses of resources in the U.S environmental policy because each has an effect on the environment. Renewable energy is constant and can be found all over the nation, but may be costly in different ways. Fossil fuels may be a natural resource but are a one-time use that could eventually become obsolete, and could also be costly. Demonstrating in this research is a plethora of information leading to the outcome of the U.S environmental policy, and whether fossil fuels or renewable resources are best for the environment.
Fossil Fuels include coal, petroleum (oil), and natural gas are concentrated organic compounds created from remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago formed into biomass. The refining and consumption of these resources have a massive impact on the environment and will eventually be exhausted. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), fossil fuels meet around 82% of U.S. energy demand.
According to the Institute for Energy Research, oil is the “transportation fuel” that makes all modern modes of transportation possible and moves both people and goods around the world. Once the products of refined crude oil came into widespread use, the US was transformed. Today, the most common products derived from oil are found in the energy sector: gasoline, heating oil, aviation fuels and diesel fuel. Oil is also the key ingredient in tens of thousands of consumer goods, including ink, plastic, dishwashing liquids, crayons, eyeglasses, deodorants, tires, ammonia, and heart valves.