Energy Crisis Solutions: Stuck on Stupid?

I am not surprised that our energy crisis never improves. We have seen mandated fuel efficiency in our automobile industry, the addition of ethanol to gasoline, and numerous subsidies going to develop and increase alternative energy sources. We have been told time and time again by our "leaders" that alternative energy sources would decrease our dependence on foreign oil and help make us energy independent. And are we better off today? No. Have we increased our own production of oil? No. Have we decreased our dependency on foreign oil? No. In fact, we have increased it. Have we spent billions? You bet. And where have those billions gone? Various businesses are wealthier, the American taxpayer fleeced, the national debt increased, and the energy crisis continues, just waiting for another government "solution."

In April 2006, Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), now Speaker of the House of Representatives, said she had a common sense plan to decrease gas prices. Where is she hiding it? Gas prices have gone from $2.30 to $3.60, over a 50% increase, since the beginning of the Democrat-controlled Congress in January 2007. Energy exploration is handcuffed, and now they want to impose a tax increase of fifty cents per gallon of gasoline to discourage consumption. Stupid is as stupid does?

And what are we hearing from the presidential candidates? McCain and Clinton have proposed dropping the federal gas tax for the summer. How about real solutions? Obama rejects that to his credit but favors a windfall profits tax on the oil companies as does Clinton and most Democrats. What folly? We need more oil and we need it now. Some leaders would also help.

Just last week Republican Senators introduced the American Energy Production Act of 2008 to expand oil production off our coasts and in Alaska. This has the potential to increase domestic oil production enough to keep America moving for five years without foreign imports of oil. Good start on a real solution to the energy crisis, but I predict that it will go nowhere in the Democrat Congress. Stupid is as stupid does.

Robert Samuelson, journalist for Newsweek and The Washington Post has made the following points in his recent article "Start Drilling": We could be producing more oil, but Congress has put large areas of supply off-limits. These include both our Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, parts of Alaska, and the Gulf of Mexico. What keeps these areas closed are exaggerated environmental fears, strong prejudice against oil companies, and sheer stupidity. Members of Congress complain about high oil profits but frustrate the companies from using those profits to explore and produce in the United States. Environmentally, the alternatives to more drilling are usually worse. Subsidies to ethanol made from corn have increased food prices and used scarce water, with few benefits. If oil is imported, it's vulnerable to tanker spills. By contrast, local production is probably safer. There were 4,000 platforms operating in the Gulf of Mexico when hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit. Despite extensive damage, there were no major spills, says Robbie Diamond of Securing America's Future Energy.

John R. Lott, Jr., writing on FoxNews.com said in an April 28, 2008 article, "Ethanol produces much less energy than gasoline. A car that gets 30 miles per gallon on gas would get only 20 miles per gallon on ethanol. Without the subsidies and the mandates, ethanol would have to cost two thirds less than the price of gas before it would pay for people to use it."

Patrick Moore, founder of Greenpeace, recently told the Boise (Idaho) Metro Chamber of Commerce that the only viable solution to our energy problems is to build hundreds of nuclear power plants over the next century; there isn't enough potential for wind, solar, hydroelectric, and geothermal or other renewable energy sources."

Why have we not made more use of nuclear energy to generate electric power? Why were the ANWR area of Alaska and drilling off our coasts not approved years ago? Discovered in 1951, the Bakken Formation under portions of Montana and North Dakota has the largest known deposit of oil shale in the United States and according to the Bureau of Land Management holds potentially enough recoverable oil to meet America's oil needs at current use rates for 110 years. Why not develop? And can't we develop a safe and clean way to use coal? We have ample supplies. Why have we not built sufficient oil refineries? Why have more inland refineries not been built to protect them from our hurricane prone coastline? We have had this energy crisis for a minimum of three decades. We need energy and oil now. Where have our "leaders" been? Taking a holiday, asleep at the wheel, out to lunch, or "stuck on stupid"?

Copyright 2008 by Don Emerson