America: Driving to Energy Independence?
America drives! With an average of 2.28 vehicles per U.S. household, and the average American commuting 33 miles per day to work, we are definitely a country that drives. The majority of U.S. cars on the road are fueled by oil. A large percentage of U.S. Oil is currently purchased from foreign countries. It is safe to say we are a country that drives dependent on other countries providing the oil to fuel our vehicles. With war raging in the Middle East, the price of oil constantly climbing and Americans still driving there is heated debate over what can be done to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil. This week the Institute for Local Self Reliance released a report entitled “Driving Our Way to Energy Independence” specifically covering The Energy Independence and Security Act signed by Congress in December 2007.
The effort by Congress in 2007 attempts to transform our current transportation system by mandating higher vehicle efficiency, an increase in production of biofuels, and efforts in renewable electricity. More pie in the sky rhetoric? Well I believe that depends on us, the people, the citizens, innovators, entrepreneurs and activists in our country. American history teaches us about a people who sacrificed their lives settling in a new land, willing to give up convenience for their future. No, we don’t have to settle in a new land. I doubt we will have to give up too much convenience. The technology is available and we are able to transform our current dependence on oil to renewable energy sources.
Why is independence from foreign oil a valid goal? I believe independence in any area is a favorable goal. When a person or entity has independence they have the power to make choices, to contribute more to their community. Self-sufficiency provides security and opportunity for growth. For our nation, independence on many fronts does not mean we do not want to contribute to the global community. It means we are able to be healthy contributors to that community. In our case, as Americans, if we choose to pursue a goal of Energy Independence we can see positive change in our economy, national security and our environment. All of which will allow us to participate in our global community in a more productive way.
Energy Independence - I thought it was all about Climate Change and GHG? Are we changing the label again to see if we can increase our market penetration?
Pick up a newspaper open the business section and go to the commodities index. Wheat up 40%, production down 28%, corn for feed up 28% and is too expensive so beef and hogs are down in price as ranchers have to over-slaughter becuase they cannot feed our food herds. After about a year there will be no supply in these markets either and meat prices will rise sharply as supply dwindles as core breeding herds have to be maintained. Harvest foods (fruits and vegetables) will be up 15% based on fuel costs alone. That is the real cost of your head long rush into anything that you can think of just to be moving towards this goal you now call energy independence.
Bio-Fuels should be abandoned until the second generation ones can be developed ( the ones using waste bio-mass ), fuel from food is killing people in the third world, right now, not in 50 years but in this year.
We are going to have a real food crisis in western countries if these policies are continued, we are not without those in poverty and we are condemning even more to join their ranks with high food and energy costs to pay for this Independence.
You want an example of a green job revolution, How many NEW full-time jobs are there at a 30Mw Wind Farm after construction? Answer is ZERO. How many new jobs to build it, 150 local full time jobs for 1 year, then nothing.
USA lost 63,000 jobs in February.
You would need to start to build 420 x 30Mw new wind farms this month to match the job loss. Then after one year everyone would be out of work again for 10-25 years, the life span of the turbines.
I am all for Energy Independence, but not at any price. There are some costs I cannot morally pay.