Phoenix Group


Action Plan

The world needs a program for the restructuring of its energy supply that will enlist the public support and enthusiasm like Kennedy's (man-on-the-moon) "Apollo Program". That first Apollo Program was very structured and definite. As head of NASA at the time, James Webb deserves to be remembered as an extremely competent and honest bureaucrat. President Kennedy asked Webb to estimate its cost at the start. Webb set up a very careful cost estimate (with help from Von Braun and others), added a reasonable (20% or so) safety margin, and came up with a figure of about $25B. The program had an over-run of only 15% or 20%.

Apollo 2 is different. It is the most critical and difficult challenge humanity has ever had to face. It is not as simple as "Get a man on the moon and back in one piece." It involves restructuring and redesigning society and its infrastructure. It will involve everything and everybody.

We are laying out a coherent course of action to launch Apollo 2. This will include and/or lead the way to:

  1. Documents to guide humanity (like the Paley Report or Denis Hayes' SERI study "A New Prosperity")
  2. Detailed topical reports on specific technologies: transportation, urban sprawl, agriculture, social problems, barriers
  3. Detailed topical reports on population and sustainability.
  4. Major programs with commercial and industrial groups.
  5. Major programs with the unions, aligning a coalition of constituents with the Apollo Alliance already in place.
  6. Outreach efforts with groups like the American Solar Energy Society, American Wind Energy Association, ...
  7. Major educational efforts, K-12, community colleges, 4-year colleges and universities, TV, radio ...
  8. Political action groups within the Democratic Party
  9. National and local groups like 4H, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, etc.
  10. Redesign and restructuring of the tax system with respect to energy.
The Apollo 2 Program will continue to evolve for years and will soon begin to attract very skilled people able to provide continuing leadership. A plan prepared by technically competent people who have been aware of this problem for many years will help provide reliable guidance at the outset. We will not work alone; we will enlist the help of others who share our concerns and who understand the need for action.