Energy Independence

[roadwarrior]

My plan is simply and should have been implemented 30 years ago:

K.I.S.S.: The Ten Year Goal

(1) Increase nuclear based electical production to contribute 50% of the grid.

(2) Immediately begin developing shale oil with a guaranteed pricing floor of $65 per barrel.

(3) Increase drilling by 100%

(4) Target "alternative energy sources" to provide 25% of projected electrical needs.

(5) Require 50 mpg from all personal transportation vehicles.

This country put a man on the moon by initiating a 10 year, no holds barred, national commitment. Solving our energy emergency is more important, but no more difficult.

8-)

[-HAWK-]

We also need to start building new Oil Refineries, to be able to process all that extra oil.

[fishfordollars]

Ya'll get my vote. Surest way is to develope the fields we have on land and sea. Drill now and drill everywhere a rig can be setup. A northern company applied this week to add two new reactors to the Bay City site down below Houston and to build a new one south of San Antonio. Paper said it will take until 2012 for all the paperwork to be completed. What a joke. Just build the d--n thing and everyone will benefit.

[Top]

have to make the radical tree huggers happy first ya know... after all them there celebrities have a lot of money for this sort of thing  

AL

[roadwarrior]

A northern company applied this week to add two new reactors to the Bay City site down below Houston and to build a new one south of San Antonio. Paper said it will take until 2012 for all the paperwork to be completed. What a joke. Just build the d--n thing and everyone will benefit.

We need a national program to cut through the red tape and build cookie-cutter reactors like the French did several decades ago. If they can safetly operated nuclear facilities, we ought to be able to run them, too!

8-)

[fishinfiend]

I could not agree more!!

[fishbear]

If you believe what Mr. Pickens is trying to tell us, we can use Wind to produce 50% of our electricity, and then start converting our vehicles over to Natural Gas.  Iran, is converting all their vehicles now, because they want to sell every last barrel of oil to us for 120.00 a barrel to finance well, you know.....  :-X

[SuskyDude]

Agree, but I think less effort/money on more oil, and more effort/money on alternative fuel.

Doesn't matter if you believe in global warming or not, burning oil just isn't good for the environment anyway you cut it. A clean fuel needs (and can) be developed, so lets do it.

It will kill our dependance on oil, keep us from being so entangled with the Middle East, and be MUCH better for the planet in the long run.

Win, Win, Win.

[Siebert Outdoors]

This day in age we should not have Oil electric plants.  This would free up quite a bit of oil.

yes I agree with RW.  They need to get off their butts and do something instead of talk.

I agree with the cookie cutter plants.  Between Wind, water, and solar we shouldnt need many power plants.  Throw some nuke plants in there to fill the void.

And yes get on natural gas for propulsion of vehicles.

[Still a Bigbuckifan]

Posted by: fishbear Posted on: Today at 10:48am

If you believe what Mr. Pickens is trying to tell us, we can use Wind to produce 50% of our electricity, and then start converting our vehicles over to Natural Gas.  Iran, is converting all their vehicles now, because they want to sell every last barrel of oil to us for 120.00 a barrel to finance well, you know.....    

IS it posable to convert regular gas power cars to natual gas or is it a whole diffrent type of motor. why is this not talked about more.

[fishbear]

According to what I have read, any gas vehicle can be converted over to natural gas.  Plus, you can have a home refilling station, all you have to do is get a tank delivered and set up, or be on a Natural gas pipeline.

[rondef]

CNG Outfitters has conversion kits for the do it yourself individuals. They state that you can recoup the cost of the kit in approximately six months. The only issue is the added weight to the vehicle for the canisters that are needed to hold the compressed natural gas. The canisters weigh between two hundred and five hundred pounds. This sounds like a good idea but you need filling stations retro fitted to make this feasible.

[Catt]

#7: if your state senators or congressman is an incumbent's vote em out of office  

[Muddy]

I am all with Catt on this one

[Muddy]

#8; Explore ways to turn all politicans into a useable fuel source ;D

[BUCKEYEone]

Maybe I've got a little bit of tree-hugger-esque attitude, but I dont see why we shouldn't work to be more energy independent and I certainly don't see why a big part of that energy cant be harnessed from naturally occurring WIND.  We have a huge debate going on in our area over a wind farm being put in our area. It would bring in tax dollars, provide inexpensive energy, provide jobs, and its CLEAN.  Too many people dont want to ruin the view from their country homes.  I think I would feel a lot better about looking out my window and seeing a windmill and knowing we are helping clean our environment!

[illumastorm]

i agree, we need more green energy like wind, solar, natural gas, etc.

[Crabcakes]

I generally like this plan. It's at least an explicit statement of a strategy, which is more than most politicians give you.  I might disagree with the fact that this is no more difficult than landing on the moon however. I actually think implmeneting this plan would be much much harder. Certain parts of it would anger everyone from coal miners to hippies in San Francisco. That  being said, "it's too hard" is an excuse thats all too often given to avoid action.

I would disagree over a few specfific strategies but overall I like how your post appreciates traditionally "environmentalist" views together with other strategies as a means to accomplish a long run economic solution. Also, you left out ethanol which is always a plus to me.

I don't know where T. Boone Pickens gets his numbers but wind really is a good power source that takes advantage of one of our most underappreciated energy resources: alot of America is really flat and has a coastline.

[roadwarrior]

Technological innovation and "breakthroughs" would be a bonus,

but energy independence can be achieved using current technology.

All that is required is a commitment!

8-)