Posted by
Michael Gaijer on Wednesday, July 09, 2008 1:35:49 PM
Breaking Our Dependence on Foreign Oil
‘Our Nation’s future, security and prosperity depends on the next President making the hard choices that will break our nation’s strategic dependence, on foreign sources of energy and will ensure our economic prosperity by meeting tomorrow’s demands for a clean portfolio.’
That is the beginning of John McCain’s campaign spiel on the Lexington Project, and in all honesty I was perplexed by the wording. In essence he is calling upon our nation’s leaders and its peoples, into producing more power, pushing technology to help free our transportation sectors needs and dilemma. Of its usage of foreign oil, to cleaning up the air we breathe and set about addressing the effects it may have on climate change, as well ensuring that Americans have dependable sources of energy.
To quote him, “In recent days I have set before the American people an energy plan, the Lexington Project-- named for the town where Americans asserted their Independence once before. And let it begin today with this commitment: In a world of hostile and unstable suppliers of oil, this nation will achieve strategic independence by 2025.”
To succeed in this endeavour, we believe that the expansion of America’s domestic Oil and Natural Gas exploration, along with production and refining capabilities are a top priority to do this. However, a current federal moratoriums on drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf stand in our way of achieving this and places an undue burden on our society.
In the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico foreign Oil interests have explored and tap the abundant under sea wealth of the region. While we are denied the right to this wealth for our nation through laws enacted to preserve an endangered form of habitat from pollution, and yet those that do not have to abide by our laws attribute also to the problem. As it is here and it is also along the Coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific, where vast quantities of known deposits of oil and natural gas reserves lay and estimated in the trillions of dollars, some have found it better to deny us the use of these vast resources, while we spend billions of our dollars a year overseas purchasing foreign energy.
It is no wonder the dollar is weak and things are this bad, for this is the largest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind. Which is it better, to squander our hard earned incomes on foreign supplies of energy, or keeping our dollars at home benefiting American Jobs, American needs, while reducing our dependency on foreign suppliers and the trade deficit- 41% of which is due to Oil imports!
“When people are hurting and struggling to afford gasoline, food and other necessities, common sense requires that we draw upon America’s own vast reserves of oil and natural gas.” Domestic supplies of natural gas; Err wait a minute; America has no vast NG reserves on which to delve for reserves, or do we? The Outer Continental Shelf alone contains 77 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas, and that is only what we know about. So it is time we capitalize on these resources and build the infrastructure needed to recover and transport this vital energy source.
`The Nation Cannot Reduce Its Dependency on Oil, Unless We Change How We Power Our Transportation Sector’
As I have stated before and find that John McCain also has a similar train of thought about this as I, a challenge must be made to the American automakers, in the form of a single and substantial tax credit for the consumer based on the reduction of carbon emissions. Well I want improved mileage as well, and we both realize that some sort of `X’ prize needs to be awarded to the individual or corporation that can produce a functional, reliable and economic system or design that would permit the attainment of 50 or 60 mpg for the average automobile as a minimum equivalence and must be able to transport five person, along with baggage and not some one person toy.
The return to cross country rail transfer of goods verse the use of over the road transfer of goods by truck which could economically transfer more trailers loaded with goods per gallon of fuel expended that tractor trailers could. It would not be the end of trucking but rather the restructuring of it, as with our interstate high way systems and airlines. The introduced usage of a new generation of high speed trains for commuter travel over medium distances is seen by many as a viable form of energy conservation and use of resources.
Viable concepts, which would not only push the envelopes of automobile design and the propulsion systems they use to its extremes, but be available at a convenient cost to the average public person. This would also have to transcend into the Commercial transportation systems but also the Military as well. The DOD used 97 million equivalent gasoline gallons of fuel last year, but a total of 117 million barrel of oil was sold to it. If the Navy fleet was fully nuclear then about 17 million barrels of Oil or more would be available to consumers.
These are but a few of the alternatives we have available, which would break our nation dependence on foreign oil imports and reduce GHG emissions. There are a lot more, personal options out there for us to chose, but as a nation together we can to these things.
We also need to implement FFV’s (Flexible Fueled Vehicles) and demand adherence to the already CAFÉ Standards by the Automakers, with stricter punishments for not reaching the set goals. Had Congress already forced compliance of the law as early as 20 years ago, maybe we would be well on our way in depleting our need for dependence on foreign oil imports.
Investing in Clean, Alternative Sources of Energy
“John McCain believes that the U.S. must become a leader in a New International Green Economy. We must focus on green jobs and green technology that will be vital to our economic future. There is no reason that the U.S. should not be a leader in developing and deploying these new technologies.”
I whole heartedly agree with this position. It is in us as a nation to go beyond the normal and into the abstract for we are not hindered by one belief or out look on how it should and can be done. We are a nation of affirmed dreamers of ‘what if!’
Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky have always had vast deposits of high sulfur coal which were banned from use in making electricity. Well we need energy now and those that say it is still over 15 years away before we can make it into a viable clean coal technology. But we believe that is too long to wait and the commitment of $2 Billion Dollars in Federal resources is not too high of price to pay for the science, research and development of the advance technology needed to once again make this areas coal viable to use here again.
Nuclear power is a well proven, zero emission source of energy and it is about time we recommit ourselves to its use. Currently 20% of all our electricity needs come from Nuclear power plants, but it has been 30 years since we built the last one, while both Russia and China as well India plan on over 100 more new plants to meet their ever growing needs. So why can’t we build 45 new plants by 2030 and put our people back to work, building, maintaining and supplying the needed infrastructure necessary to support them. Just because Three Mile Island gave us all a scare, it is not a reason to abandon a proven good concept.
Tax credits to those companies or firms which attain and maintain a 10% of wages spent on R&D, rewarding those that really want to advance the needs of our nation.
We also need to accept and encourage the market growth and development of clean low carbon fuels such as Wind, Hydro, Solar and Wave action generation of energy. Each of these is not a solution in its own but when combined they could produce and additional 20 to 25% of all the power needed to sustain us. According to the Dept. of Energy, wind alone could provide as much as one-fifth of electricity by 2030.
Protecting Our Environment and Addressing Climate Change:
As we outlined above, our proposals will not only bring us away from dependency on foreign oil, but allow us to get people back to work making good wages doing the restoration of our nation. However this is but a part of our plan, the last is making America Green and Energy Efficient.
Proposal of a Cap and Trade system which would set limits on the amount Greenhouse Gas Emissions could be reach before a fine or other mechanism would kick in. Thus as with Acid Rain trading, entities could sell or buy credits from others in the business to reach the levels emitted.
Targets could be set such as; 2012 return emissions to 2005 levels (18% over 1990)
2020 return emissions to 1990 levels
2030 return emissions to below 1990 levels.
This reduction would over time slowly restore the natural balance to our climate and be a retardant towards expanding any possible influence over it these emissions may have played.
With this we propose that the federal government do through example, being that they are the largest electricity consumer on Earth and occupies some 3.3 billion square feet of space worldwide. Applying higher energy efficiency standards towards themselves than towards their constituents, in energy efficiency standards for new building construction, buildings leased the purchase of or retrofitting of older ones. Saving the taxpayers a substantial amount in energy costs, while helping move the construction industry in the direction of green technologies.
Finally, both John McCain and I want to see what sort of role speculation had to play in the steady fast rising of the cost of Oil in the free market place. Congress has already begun the investigation into these allegations to examine what sort of wagering in our energy markets had to distort the market and drive prices beyond rational limits, which put the investments and pensions of millions of Americans at risk. John McCain believes that where we find abuse, we will need to act swiftly and firmly punish the abusers so it never happens again. Reform the laws and regulations governing the oil futures market, so that they are clear and well defined. Oil is our resource as well as those that deal and sell it, it is a national interest and should be treated as such when it threatens our National Security.