Posted by
Ghost 38 on Thursday, June 19, 2008 12:00:00 AM
One candidate is almost there, the other is running away as fast as he can. $4.25 or so a gallon at the pump is just the tip of the iceberg; sticker shock is going to come in many forms: the food bill, utility bills, they are all going up.
A concept missing from the discourse is--energy resources are all linked; right now there is little to no slack in the system. The fact that speculators in the commodities market can ratchet up the price until the pain hits is due to the "Lack in Slack". The immediate solution is make more slack. We need any and all additions to our energy portfolio--and we need them sooner rather than later. Without this first piece, energy will become more expensive--it is commoditized ( I know a big word).
Those saying we can't drill our way out of this are fools--YES WE CAN! We must utilized our own resources as much as we can. I would contend that immediate drilling would cause the price to go down immediately. How much, I can't guess, but actual commitment to drill domestically in large scope would be the first signal that we as a nation are serious about this issue. The less oil we use from outside the US, the more is available on the market--less slack. This is the first dot.
Second dot: we need a multi-modal energy supply system. We need to be more resistant to a shortage in a single source. I don't propose this as THE answer, but a potential answer follows. Ramp up nuclear power in a large way--target 80% of electricity being generated by nuclear power by 2030. Plan on modular and scalable plant designs, using the latest technology, streamline all the irrational permitting and other roadblocks, and site them to take advantage of the following potential uses: site them along with varied co-generation facilities, like hydrogen plants, coal liquifaction plants, refineries, natural gas and propane processing and distribution points. All these co-generation facilities could take advantage of abundant electricity for plant operations, and distribution could be rationalized to a certain extent.
Second dot, first sidestreet: Nuclear energy has to be in the energy mix in a huge way. It's energy density and capability to almost resupply itself is far beyond any other source. This is where the alternative-fuels folks need to get off the bus. Wind, bio-fuels, and currently solar all do not have significant abilities to greatly increase this factor. Wind makes sense in many areas of the country and world, but so far it looks like it will never be a primary energy source to many resources going into generating a unit of energy. Bio-fuels are in a similar but convoluted way. By many estimates it takes more than a gallon of energy to make that gallon of ethanol for fuel; not smart because you are continually making a withdrawal. It's like starting with a $1000 worth of Washington's (or pick your dead President denomination) and withdrawing a $100 of those a year. If interest is only paying $50 a year, years later (20, I think as public math is never pretty) you are going to be broke. Bio-fuel only makes sense where you need to convert one form of energy to another, such as solid to liquid. Solar may prove some help in the future, but again energy density is a significant challenge, and it is not available 24/7.
Third dot: The market has to make this work. Like 'em or hate 'em, the oil companies appear to be today's boogeyman--but think about it--it has to be market based, without it we are not going to have what we need when we need it. Overall goals and strategies are critical but the strategies need to be flexible to meet the goals, not stovepiped into preordained solutions.
LAST DOT: As you guessed, this must be a biggie! We need clear leadership on multiple fronts to accomplish this success story. Many articles directly whacked at the "we must conserve, and no solution except some undefined alternative" posse that surrounds much of the left. Frankly I don't want to be told that I can't have freedom to do what I can afford, such as driving the big rig to tow the trailer to go to the National Park with my kids! Or even have the mid-size mini-van to accomplish the day to day chores. We should not be wasteful in what we do use, but dammit we need to stop apologizing get to work.
The world is not going to stop growing because we have high oil prices. Countries on the way up will pay the price for the advancement they can afford. We could become exporters of a whole bunch of technology, services, and resources. Real people around this country realize that the stale rhetoric of the left is bad for almost all groups in society, except our intellectual elites. So America, lets move out and get 'er done. The benefits of true energy independence are enormous. And that is my "View From The Bunker"