Goal For The Green

Are we being logical about Global Warming ? Probably not, since we now call it climate change.  It might be a little ridiculous to think that man caused climate change to happen.  Sure, we are a contributing factor, but we all know that the earth undergoes sometimes drastic climate changes-naturally!  Mother Nature has never needed any help in that area.  Even if we would have heeded the warnings 30 plus years ago, after the “gas crisis,” -much of what is happening now, would still be happening.  We have no control over it.  But, we probably have contributed to our crisis by not practicing good conservation.

So, what makes us think that we can change our habits and replace our energy demands with alternative sources, in just ten years?  Today, here in the United States, only 7% of our energy comes from alternative sources.  Hydroelectric power  comprises 36% of our total alternative energy usage.  Another 5% comes from the use of wind energy.  These two sources cannot be tapped into much further, without studies of the damage it causes to already fragile ecosystems.  Fish and wildlife suffer as a paradox of our need for alternative energy sources.  It seems the only time we hear about these unfair tradeoffs, is when people protest (NIMBY) not in my back yard, when it is time to build dams and install wind turbines into already settled communities.

Today, over half of our alternative energy is in the form of biofuels.  Sources such as switchgrass (it needs an enzyme to break it down) and ethanol (corn based) are our hope for renewable energy.  Geothermal and solar power (through photovoltaic cells) offer another 6% of our current alternative energy usage.  While these sources are promising, they supply a very minor amount of our total annual energy needs.

Will we meet the goal in ten years?  Probably not, but we have to start somewhere.  It is estimated that it will cost upwards of $2.5 trillion to achieve approximately half of our home based energy needs through alternative energy sources.   Some feel that the environmental impact of biofuels is worse than that of petroleum souces.  Sure, more information is needed in these areas, but we can’t stop progress.  We must move forward.  We should make more use of resources that we already have here at home.  More use of nuclear energy, natural gas, and ways to safely make use of hydrogen should be looked at more closely.

We all know that America needs to become energy independent.  However, there isn’t a clear vision for achieving that goal, and no real clear cut plan either.  Here are ten steps we could make toward achieving energy freedom.

1.  There are 10 foreign government run oil companies that are much larger and have greater oil reserves than our Exxon Mobil. So, we need to quit blaming “big oil” here at home.  Even if they did make a record profit of $12 billion in less than 90 days.

2.  Congress and lawmakers should address or own domestic supply and production problems. If they increased our supply from our own sources and reserves, it could have an impact on the price we pay at the pump.

3.  We can make a difference by turning off lights at home, when not in use.  We can also save gas instead of time by slowing down our driving speed.  We can also save energy by keeping our thermostats set at 68 in the winter and 75 in the summer.

4.  Remember when grandma use to hang clothes out on the line and how nice and fresh they smelled? Or how about installing rain barrels to water the lawn instead of pumping water from the well.  If you aren’t on a well system, you can conserve water by using drip or soaker hoses.

5.  There must be a determination in this country to develop alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal technology.  There is is no room for the NIMBY (not in my backyard) attitude.  This only slows progress that needs to happen.

6.  We need to build and reopen nuclear plants.  France gets 77% of its energy from nuclear sources.  We need to follow what they have learned in regard to safe usage of nuclear power and the recycling of nuclear waste.

7.  We should increase hydroelectric power in states where it is plentiful.  There should also be an environmental push to increase the survival rate of young salmon migrating to the Pacific regions

8.  If we develop and deploy our environmental cleanup strategies to developing economic powers such as China India and others, they could generate electricity from their abundant coal reserves.  This would drastically reduce air and water pollution in those countries, and make their people healthier.  Taking this step would also provide new markets for our American companies and create new jobs.

9  We need to produce more of our own oil and natural gas, while other technology and alternatives are being developed.  There is enough domestic natural gas offshore to supply the United States for the next 10 years easily.  The production technology is much safer than it was 30 plus years ago.  There are 109 offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico that were directly hit during Hurricane Katrina without causing a significant spill.

10.  It will take patience and common since, as well as time and money to transform new technology and find new sources of energy.  The solutions won’t happen overnight, however, we need a dedicated government to get behind these issues and make sure these changes happen in a timely fashion.

It’s not just at the gas pump- the price of everything is skyrocketing.  Americans are hurting badly, while expecting our government to propose a plan of action NOW.  Seems all they can do is argue and not accomplish much.

On the Democratic side of politics, they have been recreating a measure in the House to punish price gougers. The bill is aimed at curbing oil market speculation (futures trading), which is a contributing factor for the price we pay at the pump. Republicans are calling for expanded offshore drilling, which is gaining popularity with rising oil prices and gas at $4+ a gallon.  However, energy experts and geologists have stated that it would take 5-10 years for ANY oil or natural gas to be produced even if the offshore drilling ban ended tomorrow.

So, when are we ever going to see a great reduction on our dependance on oil? The crazy prices of everything are having a huge impact on our already weakened economy. Energy and the Economy are the main issues of concern to the American public, in the race for the White House.

There have been many ideas on the sounding board recently in regards to the energy crisis. They include rethinking thoughts on Nuclear power, biofuels and renewables (solar and wind power) and ending the off-shore drilling ban. Off-shore drilling, clearly is not the answer.

Ever wonder what happened to the electric car, or other great inventions that could solve this problem? Electric cars have less parts, lower maintenance costs and — umm they use no GAS. What?-no profit anymore for the automotive and oil companies. What a shame that would be!  They already are controlling world governments and monopolizing most forms of transportation,making us dependent on the liquid gold.

Large international companies have for years bought out all the patent rights for inventions that work.  They work with other large companies to maximize THEIR profits. An example of this was the railroad monopolies of the late 1800’s.  They worked with each other, instead of competitively, raising rates without regard of the people. The main goal was to maximize THEIR profits. This resulted in the Sherman Anti Trust Laws, that were created to break up the railroad monopolies and bring the prices back under control.

I realize businesses are created to make profits, but governments are supposed to make living a fair and equitable life, a right of their citizens.  What happened to our government that use to work for the good of the people, with liberty and justice for all?  We use to be a free market society, where there was fair competition. Not so anymore…. not today.

Written in association with At Cost Energy