ENERGY: PROBLEM NUMBER ONE

First; let me apologize for neglecting my blog. I've been extremely busy with the radio show. (I'm trying to set up a "My Wicked Garden" site that will have all my broadcasts and easier access.) For now, you can go to Flinttalkradio.com and click on the menu of the stickicam and my shows are in the "movies" category. I've also been turkey hunting and putting a new roof on my house, (myself, not hired out.) So I've been very busy.

Now, on to the real subject matter.

As most of you have noticed, (unless you live in a shack in upper Idaho), gas has gone through the roof. The implications on the U.S. economy are obvious. Increased cost to travel has all of us tightening our belts, buying less and traveling less. The cost of nearly all products is going up as a result of increased transportation costs. Despite the increased price, consumption is down only 1.3% when compared to this time last year. This further demonstrates that America is simply not ready for the reality of what's facing us in the next decade and beyond.

The U.S. is becoming increasingly dependent on foreign oil. We consume over 20 million barrels a day and 12 million of that is imported. The cries for us to produce our own oil by opening up such areas as ANWAR in Alaska, has increased and the Big Oil executives are using the crisis as an excuse to ask for more research and exploration dollars. But is U.S. R&D enough to possibly save us? Unfortunately, the answer is no.

If you look carefully at the proven reserves (known oilfields) in the world it become obvious that the U.S. can not support itself no matter how much we increase production. The numbers are simply not there. Companies like Exxon are simply trying to get more access to oil that makes them the most money, closer to home. In Fact, if you do the math, the U.S. and Mexico will both be completely out of oil within 12 years unless some new reserves are discovered. (which is unlikely, as technology has already found what they believe is the majority of oil fields in the U.S.)

Canada has proven to be a good friend to have in all this mess. Their sand tar oilfields can produce desperately needed oil but at a high cost. Their proven reserves are second only to Saudi Arabia. The problem is; it's all crappy oil that is locked in sand and has to be strip-mined and processed to even be useful. This actually increases our carbon-footprint because it takes so much more energy to refine it than . At present production, Canada has enough oil to last over 150 years. But at 3 million barrels a day present production we will need to increase the capacity of their oilfields 400% to make a real dent in our needs. That still leaves us in dire straights within 40 years even if our needs do not increase.

The other solution (favored by the Republicans) is securing oil flow from other, far less stable countries. I don't think I have to tell anyone how expensive and uncertain that can be. Islamic Fundamentalism is spreading and most all of the oil we need lies under regimes that have goals that do not include America prospering. OPEC controls most of that oil and seems to be very content to watch the U.S. squirming under their reduced production. If this continues along with the speculation that has driven the prices through the roof, Americans will soon find themselves suffering inflation that will reduce all of our wealth considerably.

So what's the answer?

I see it as a multi-pronged approach. First; we need to help Canada get as much oil on-line as possible. I would much rather see my hard-earned money going towards a friendly democratic country than one that funds terrorism against us. Second; increase production of alternate fuels. Sugar-based ethanol is a bad answer as it drives up food prices, but Cellulosic Ethanol should be funded immediately and put into the pipeline as soon as possible. We should also be funding R&D on plug-in vehicles, fuel cells, and any other sources that will alleviate our dependency on foreign oil. And third; we need to reduce the amount oil we waste on petro-chemicals. One-fifth of all our oil goes to producing plastics, fertilizers, etc. When it's possible, we should be looking at alternatives that are more environmentally friendly. Hemp has a lot of possibilities in this area.

This problem should be #1 on everybodies' list of concerns. Energy is affecting our foreign policies, our economy, and our future. If we don't address this problem soon, our children will be dealing with it in a way that will require far more drastic measures..like war. Our Congress is slow to respond because so much money is being made on oil and the profiteers are known and funneling money in their direction. If we don't force them to act, the lobbyists will make sure they don't. Oil will always be a major resource, but it doesn't need to have so much power to control our fate. H.C.