I have been away for a while and was surprised to find the obvious lack of any discussion regarding energy independence.

Another concept destined to cripple the USA while political partisan positioning is so much more important.

I do not understand why the American adults do not deluge their representatives to DO SOMETHING.

Stop the bickering of no don't do this because, but that because.......do them all.

The argument of it takes years to see impact is BS. It starts with beginning. If we would have done ANYTHING.....ANYTHING....10 years ago we wouldn't be wringing our hands now. Drill yes (every other country is 50 miles off our coasts drilling.....WHAT A JOKE!!!!).
ALTERNATE FUELS? YES. Do it all.

What is it going to take to make the US great again? Get the the politics out of it and put AMERICA first.

What a pity we allow us to become a second rate nation....no manufacturing.....other countries buying our businesses. I fear we are complacent sheep destined to be a wage earning society only.

Why isn't it an issue in need of a paradigm shift? Why?

BTK

Yes. The Federal government has to get off their butts and do a few things.
1) Allow US oil componies to drill off the coast and Alaska.
2) Establish a program to build nuclear power plants.
3) Change regulations as to futures trading on oil and natural gas.
If we did any of these things, the price of oil would drop at once. The price is all based on speculation.

We deserve this and more. If we have done all that in the 70's, after the Oil Embargo we will have all the refineries, drilling and nuclear plants we need to be independent. We build the YELLOW PERIL in China, by given then all our manufacturing jobs, and they spit back at us. We are not becoming a second class country, we already are one. I am lucky I will not be alive to see the end.

Originally Posted by Number 6

Yes. The Federal government has to get off their butts and do a few things.
1) Allow US oil componies to drill off the coast and Alaska.
2) Establish a program to build nuclear power plants.
3) Change regulations as to futures trading on oil and natural gas.
If we did any of these things, the price of oil would drop at once. The price is all based on speculation.

Yes that and the value of the US dollar on the foreign market.

Where we have to go is to renewable energy. Why can't I shingle my house with solar and feed the power I collect back into the grid? Why can I have a windmill on top of my house that feeds power back into the grid? The technology is there today and you can do it in certain areas of Canada...

Drilling for oil sounds good but long term, it just delays where we need to be.

As I commented in an earlier post today:

Thinking long-term, drilling for more oil is not going to encourage technological innovation or reduce our dependency on a finite resource. It's just a bandaid, or to use another analogy, a "fix" for an economy addicted to fossil fuel.
There were electric cars available in the 1990's (made by GM) but they were pulled off the market (see the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car.") The excuse that there are not enough facilities to charge these cars is not valid. After all, when Ford invented the gasoline fueled car, how many gas stations were out there? It takes a commitment by the people to investing in innovation to get us off oil and less dependent on oil producing nations.

...and if the government can subsidize the farm and oil industries, why can't we as individual taxpayers get a decent credit for solar panels, alternative energy vehicles, etc.?

Out of curiosity, what percentage of oil is used to produce gasoline rather than other things on which we've become dependent? If someone has the details, where and for what is the world's oil production used?

Details! Details! We need details!

Originally Posted by Number 6

Yes. The Federal government has to get off their butts and do a few things.
1) Allow US oil componies to drill off the coast and Alaska.
2) Establish a program to build nuclear power plants.
3) Change regulations as to futures trading on oil and natural gas.
If we did any of these things, the price of oil would drop at once. The price is all based on speculation.

I already addressed point 1, please search for my posts to see that one. As for 3, will need to learn more about that. It is 2 that has me concerned.

uranium 238 has a half life of 4.5 billion years. That means that the waste that is produced from nuclear energy will take about 9 billion years before it is safe to be around. I know we have technology, good steal, cement, all that stuff. Also, most people are not all that concerned about the survival of the human species. But I am. If you can show me a single container that can withstand 9 BILLION years, then I am all for this. But with the amount of waste produced, and then a 9 BILLION year time table to be safe to be near, I just do not see how anyone could even consider this. I honestly don't think people sit down and think this one through. Just think of it this way. Dead dinosaurs make oil, and how much oil is there? That is a few billion years of each dinosaur contributing about 5 barrels of oil to us each. Imagine if each one left us a few barrels of nuclear waste instead. Now you would have to more than triple that (population of humans are much greater) and double it again (we would produce more than 5 barrels in nuclear waste per person). Would you want to live here with that much radiation under you? It is just not a good option if you care more about a generation or two. Like I said, I do....

The people on this forum are exactly the same as our beloved congress. Argue about what the perfect answer is and DO NOTHING. The correct answer really is DO EVERYTHING. If we just started drilling and building all the different types of alternative supplies, prices would drop. But do something, discussing and philosophizing about it is why we have $4 gas today and if we continue down that path it will be $10 a gallon tomorrow. Why is that so difficult to comprehend?

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

The people on this forum are exactly the same as our beloved congress. Argue about what the perfect answer is and DO NOTHING. The correct answer really is DO EVERYTHING. If we just started drilling and building all the different types of alternative supplies, prices would drop. But do something, discussing and philosophizing about it is why we have $4 gas today and if we continue down that path it will be $10 a gallon tomorrow. Why is that so difficult to comprehend?

I absolutely agree 100% Everything safe....

As I also said, I addressed the first issue somewhere else....

Repost:
The only solution is to look at this as a national security problem. During WWII we were able to convert all the resources of this country as well as the manufacturing base from making cars into making war products like planes and tanks. We need to do this again, but to make energy. We should have every house in this nation with solar panels (providing to themselves and a central grid) within 2 years. We should immediately convey production lines to only making cars with the highest gas standards within 2 years. We should immediately pass laws prohibiting undo waste (why does my software has to come in a 10 gallon create). We could preserve our way of life by taking some real measures, but no one seems willing to do it. And the thing is, none of these are political, they are common sense conservation. We have proven that we can do this in the past, so there is no reason we cannot do it now.

Until such time as partisanism is removed from the process there will be no progress.
Partisan accomplishment is akin to the win-lose scenario and most educated in the reality of accomplish understand there is no negotiation without compromise.
At the expense of the American people and the security of this country we continue to allow our so called lawmakers to do nothing. Until that CHANGES 30 years from now when the next generations are saying what we say....why didn't they do something 30 years ago when they knew there was a problem??????
In the 70's and 80's eaxh sitting President created policy to create energy independence. Some even stated it should be accomplished during their next decade. So what happened? Nothing!!!!!
Why???? Because the smarter clans on the planet that control oil lowered the price per barrel
(by the way back then that meant going from $40 per barrel back down to the high teens) hence no problem. And OPEC smiled once again.

If you really want to raise your eye brows do some home work. Go back to the energy crisis of the 70's and the status under each sitting President from then until now. The words then were the exact same as today. There was no 24/7 media to do our thinking then or create the split in America. When programs identified to become oil independent we managed to go from 25% imported in the 70's to 42% in the 90's to 70% during 2007.
After you research this subject and how it was addressed you need to study....really STUDY and ask how not only did we not accomplish what was directed by our past Presidents and lawmakers to become oil independent....we managed to almost triple our DEPENDENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND ONCE AGAIN OPEC SMILED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can only come up with one word (because the others I woulod use would be deleted by some body).....APATHY!!!!!

With our $700 Billion per year going to the mid east for oil they are building new cities and providing for their people with US for oil dollars

AND OPEC CONTINUES TO SMILE.....in the past they apeased us by lowering the price of oil.....now it doesn't matter any more.

NO MATTER THE PRICE OF OIL OR IT'S IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE AND STATUS OF OUR COUNTRY.......WE STILL DO NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Change? Forget it. How about the novel concept of accountability.

As I have said before the problem is very simple to solve. We are no longer capable.

If I am wrong....on the subject of oil independence accomplishments VS of objectives of the past.....on the subject of NOTHING coming forth from our current 545.....then prove it....some how!

BTK

BTK

Someone from the oil drilling side of the debate is going to have to explain to me, how the price of gas at the pumps is going to decrease if we start pumping 2 % of our total need. Everything that I read states that the best we could expect by more drilling is 2% or our total consumption.

Are the oil companies going to sell us the oil cheaper than what they can get in the global market? How will they be able to justify the additional cost of exploration and drilling.

If you want to sell the pro side on continuing the drilling of oil to satisfy our glut for oil, you need to find a better reason the prices. Prices will just not go down, if anything they will just continue to increase whether we drill or not drill.

Alternate renewable energy is the only way to go.

As I commented in an earlier post:

Thinking long-term, drilling for more oil is not going to encourage technological innovation or reduce our dependency on a finite resource. It's just a bandaid, or to use another analogy, a "fix" for an economy addicted to fossil fuel.
There were electric cars available in the 1990's (made by GM) but they were pulled off the market (see the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car.") The excuse that there are not enough facilities to charge these cars is not valid. After all, when Ford invented the gasoline fueled car, how many gas stations were out there? It takes a commitment by the people to investing in innovation to get us off oil and less dependent on oil producing nations.

...and if the government can subsidize the farm and the oil industry, why can't we as individual taxpayers get a decent credit for solar panels, alternative energy vehicles, etc.?

As I noted before, everyone believes their idea is the best so NOTHING gets done. Welcome to our congress.

SO DO SOMETHING!!!

I, for one, am writing to the Governor and US Senators from Florida to express my support of increased tax credits for individuals who opt for alternative energy sources, such as solar heating, etc. Our current credits in Florida for residential solar incentives (http://www.dep.state.fl.us/energy/energyact/solar.htm) are a disgrace, considering what the government hands out in subsidies to the farm and oil industries.
If anyone else wants to do something about this, I've included the email and mail addresses of these representatives:

Governor Crist:
Office of Governor Charlie Crist
State of Florida
PL-05 The Capitol
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
Email: Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com <Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com>


Senator Martinez: He is a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Washington:
Senator Mel Martinez
United States Senate
356 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Main: (202) 224-3041
Email on web form:
http://martinez.senate.gov/public/in...on.ContactForm

Senator Nelson: Member, Budget and Commerce Committees
Senator Bill Nelson
Washington, D.C.
United States Senate
Email on web form:
http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
716 Senate Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5274
Fax: 202-228-2183

Rep. Marco Rubio, Speaker
Florida House of Representatives
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1300
(850) 488-1450
Email: marco.rubio@myfloridahouse.gov

Rep. Mayfield, Chair
ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL
Florida House of Representatives
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1300
(850) 488-9238

Rep. Kreegel, Chair
Committee on Energy
Florida House of Representatives
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1300
(850) 488-9175
Email: paige.kreegel@myfloridahouse.gov

Rep. Williams, Chair
Florida House of Representatives
Committee on Environmental Protection
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1300
(850) 488-2047
Email: trudi.williams@myfloridahouse.gov

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