General Discussion

Drilling - Not Viable

The United States of America is an addict; its consumption of oil is 21 to 22 million barrels per day. 

We have nothing left to drill.  ANWR could help, but it would produce roughly, maybe, 2 million barrels per day of oil.  No one wants to drill on the West or East Coasts because no oil is there.  The only place left is in the Gulf of Mexico near the Missippi because the river created the underwater structures.  Otherwise, we are basically tapped out.

We import our oil from Canada, more than any other country, in the world.

Canada's reliance on the U.S.A for oil revenue is 99% (works great for Canada to forgo shipping and other costs such as taxes)

Old Habits Die Hard

Solution One:  Transportation

95% of our transportation depends on oil.  If we implemented a four-day workweek, we could effectively reduce our commuting by 20%.  If we expanded telecommuting even further, we could reduce consumption even more.  All non-essential federal employees should telecommute on Fridays or work 10-hour, four-day workweek.  It is a start.  And telecommuting should be encouraged - not feared.

Employers need to encourage car-pooling among employees, and perhaps even reward the driver(s) with some sort of compensation. 

Fuel-efficient automobiles have federal tax credits available.  If you do not know what a tax credit it, well, it is better than a deduction.  It is money you get, not a deduction from income.  Hybrids have a credit of 3,400 dollars and others even more.

Fuel-flexible automobiles that can run on gasoline, ethanol, or methanol should be mandated.  Oh, my God, more regulation!  It would add, perhaps, 100 to 200 for new vehicles.  

Americans love new, flashy, "cool" cars --so do Germans-- and I am sure would not notice the difference.

States need to impose greater licensing fees on fuel-inefficient vehicles and lesser licensing fees on fuel-efficient vehicles.  It can encourage use of fuel-efficiency.

Solution Two:  Taxes

Increase federal gasoline taxes and use the proceeds to fund research in alternative energy.  For the first time recently Americans drove less.  

End the oil price variance. 

• Below 100 a barrel - increase tax
• Above 100 a barrel - reduce tax
  • Oil price should be established at some price set by Congress.  As it decreases from that established price, reduce taxes; as it increase, raise taxes.  It is necessary to keep oil at a consistent price.  Edit:  Not "established" by Congress; some price that Congress sets as the middle to raise or reduce taxes as price deviates from that number, say, 100.

Solution Three:  Conservation

We need a conservation ethos in this country.  My family was fairly disciplined, or disciplined me, at an early age never to waste energy.  Never to use energy in a wasteful way.  Not in the room?  Turn off the lights, the fans, etc.  I remember that to this day being told never to waste energy.  

U.S. car makers, though broke, must increase average vehicle fuel-efficiency by 2020 to 40% (35 miles per gallon).  It can reduce 2.3 million barrels per day in the U.S. (in 2020). 

The AIRLINE INDUSTRY and PACKAGE DELIVERY INDUSTRY should be significant leaders in this.  

IT (Information Technology)  v. ET (Energy Technology)

The IT boom required vast investments of capital.

Where would we be today without the success of the IT boom?  Many companies failed, and many are fabulously successful, and those successful companies have improved our lives vastly.

The same could be true for ET.  The truth about ET, however, is there is not a demand for it so long as polluting sources of energy are cheap; this will, however, change.

The country that commands ET is the country that commands its destiny.

The Future is Energy Technology.

It doesn't matter how we would solve it.

You ever thought of how all the alternative energies we have now are for lack of a better word, horseshit?

Hybrids...Lame. Still fossil dependent. Solar power and wind power are inefficient. Nuclear power has gotten a bad rap, could help with limited fuel dependecy, but still has limitations and wouldn't remove our reliance. Hydro-electricity is very limited according to natural phenomena.

Fact is, special interest groups control this whole thing. Think of shadow government type illuminati that love that oil!

A good example is thomas moray. Google/wiki him! Man discovered free energy in the thirties.

Originally posted by declaredemer

Drilling - Not Viable

The United States of America is an addict; its consumption of oil is 21 to 22 million barrels per day. 

We have nothing left to drill.  ANWR could help, but it would produce roughly, maybe, 2 million barrels per day of oil.  No one wants to drill on the West or East Coasts because no oil is there.  The only place left is in the Gulf of Mexico near the Missippi because the river created the underwater structures.  Otherwise, we are basically tapped out.

We import our oil from Canada, more than any other country, in the world.

Canada's reliance on the U.S.A for oil revenue is 99% (works great for Canada to forgo shipping and other costs such as taxes)

Old Habits Die Hard

Solution One:  Transportation

95% of our transportation depends on oil.  If we implemented a four-day workweek, we could effectively reduce our commuting by 20%.  If we expanded telecommuting even further, we could reduce consumption even more.  All non-essential federal employees should telecommute on Fridays or work 10-hour, four-day workweek.  It is a start.  And telecommuting should be encouraged - not feared.

Employers need to encourage car-pooling among employees, and perhaps even reward the driver(s) with some sort of compensation. 

Fuel-efficient automobiles have federal tax credits available.  If you do not know what a tax credit it, well, it is better than a deduction.  It is money you get, not a deduction from income.  Hybrids have a credit of 3,400 dollars and others even more.

Fuel-flexible automobiles that can run on gasoline, ethanol, or methanol should be mandated.  Oh, my God, more regulation!  It would add, perhaps, 100 to 200 for new vehicles.  

Americans love new, flashy, "cool" cars --so do Germans-- and I am sure would not notice the difference.

States need to impose greater licensing fees on fuel-inefficient vehicles and lesser licensing fees on fuel-efficient vehicles.  It can encourage use of fuel-efficiency.

Solution Two:  Taxes

Increase federal gasoline taxes and use the proceeds to fund research in alternative energy.  For the first time recently Americans drove less.  

End the oil price variance. 

• Below 100 a barrel - increase tax
• Above 100 a barrel - reduce tax
  • Oil price should be established at some price set by Congress.  As it decreases from that established price, reduce taxes; as it increase, raise taxes.  It is necessary to keep oil at a consistent price.  Edit:  Not "established" by Congress; some price that Congress sets as the middle to raise or reduce taxes as price deviates from that number, say, 100.

Solution Three:  Conservation

We need a conservation ethos in this country.  My family was fairly disciplined, or disciplined me, at an early age never to waste energy.  Never to use energy in a wasteful way.  Not in the room?  Turn off the lights, the fans, etc.  I remember that to this day being told never to waste energy.  

U.S. car makers, though broke, must increase average vehicle fuel-efficiency by 2020 to 40% (35 miles per gallon).  It can reduce 2.3 million barrels per day in the U.S. (in 2020). 

The AIRLINE INDUSTRY and PACKAGE DELIVERY INDUSTRY should be significant leaders in this.  

IT (Information Technology)  v. ET (Energy Technology)

The IT boom required vast investments of capital.

Where would we be today without the success of the IT boom?  Many companies failed, and many are fabulously successful, and those successful companies have improved our lives vastly.

The same could be true for ET.  The truth about ET, however, is there is not a demand for it so long as polluting sources of energy are cheap; this will, however, change.

The country that commands ET is the country that commands its destiny.

The Future is Energy Technology.

 

you said "we have nothing left to drill"   Care to ammend that statement?

www.pickensplan.com/

Is a start. 

We need more nuclear plants.  Affordable alternative fuel cars and/or electric cars.  I could easily use a electric car as my daily commuter about 60 miles round trip.  The big users industry, commercial, etc. need to use and/or be retro fited with energy efficient lighting and use day lighting features in new designs.  Higher tax breaks for purchasing and installing alternative energy equipment and energy efficient heating, cooling, etc for private citizens and business.

There is no single answer.  We just need to start taking baby steps to being energy independent.

Originally posted by Venger

www.pickensplan.com/

Is a start. 

We need more nuclear plants.  Affordable alternative fuel cars and/or electric cars.  I could easily use a electric car as my daily commuter about 60 miles round trip.  The big users industry, commercial, etc. need to use and/or be retro fited with energy efficient lighting and use day lighting features in new designs.  Higher tax breaks for purchasing and installing alternative energy equipment and energy efficient heating, cooling, etc for private citizens and business.

There is no single answer.  We just need to start taking baby steps to being energy independent.

If the united states just doubles it's nuclear energy production we could easily run through all known deposits and stockpiles of 'reaction mass' before my life time is up.   Then we'll be worse off than we were before.

I would hedge some of my bets on tidal energy.  You already have extensive research by oil companies for which materials do and don't work for 30+ years in ocean waters and what they can take.   There's a dozen ways to catch that energy.  Water itself also offers more energy per-foot-area-motion(lame) than wind does.

edit:   'environmental' Hydrogen and Electric cars are a myth.  

I think the answer lies in two areas.

First, carbon composite car frames. These frames are stronger that steel at a fraction of the weight. Today, these cars can easily get between 70 and 100 mpg. The only problem ATM is cost.

Second, redesigned gas combustion engines. Currently engines only use about 10% of the gas as it ignites the pistons. Car companies are working hard to improve this but so far all gains have gone to increase engine horsepower not fuel efficiency.

Finally, drill baby drill won't work. There is no way we compete with Europe and the Middle East in oil production, and it takes us much more money to produce and refine it than it does them. We've tried this before, on several occasions, with disastrous results. This is the reason we have limited refinery and production capacity. In the end, we only end up paying more. Today. this is just a divisive political issue both side's like to play.

why not use ethanol, take after brazil and start growing our own oil. And no corn is not the only source of ethanol and it is not the most efficient source of ethanol either.