1
I agree with the answer given. It is true that hurricanes are environmental problems that pose a threat to the energy infrastructure security in nations. Hurricanes have been reported to take down power lines, result to flooding of electric substations, and cause storms that traverse offshore production pipelines and rigs, power plants, energy import and export sites and coastal refineries. The answer gives examples of hurricanes that had devastating results on the energy infrastructure on the shores of United States such as hurricane Katrina and Sandy. The answer articulates the fact that, within hours of the sighting of these hurricanes, many consumers within United States lose power and fuel distribution networks are paralyzed. In addition, the answer refers to Sandalow (2012) where hurricanes cause significant terminals of petroleum products to be critically dented. Another significant threat on the energy infrastructure is the failure by the service stations to pump gas due to power shortages.
2
I disagree with the answer. The energy industry is overregulated. According to reports by the Institute for Energy Research (2012), many American refineries are shutting down, with more anticipated closures, because of excessively-onerous regulations. Numerous refinery plants in Pennsylvania are in the verge of shutting down. These closures are attributed to increased directives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA is noted to have imposed carbon-discharge regulations and proposed excessively severe ozone regulations. These standards have infringed burdens on the energy industry. Some of the regulations affecting the energy industry include the Clean Air Act of 1970, which prohibited the use of lead as an additive in gasoline, Clean Act of 1990, and the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which restricted the number of boutique fuels. These regulations have resulted to an increase in the cost of oil refinery and add considerably to the costs of manufacturing refined products.
References
Sandalow, D. (2012, November 30). Hurricane Sandy and Our Energy Infrastructure. Retrieved August 2013, from http://energy.gov/articles/hurricane-sandy-and-our-energy-infrastructure
