A Different Energy Plan For America

Several times throughout history get things have been proposed during tough times to boost the moral of the country and to give it a national goal. Out of these came programs such as NASA. The agency, and the country got a boost when President Kennedy challenged the country to put a man on the moon by the end of the 1960’s.

Inspired by such people, I now propose that this country set forth on a mission to become energy independent by 2020. There are many reasons for this, including the prices and national security. The plan should be multi-faceted, providing solutions from many different sources. Each part of the solution should take into consideration the environment, the sustainability of the source, the costs and efficiency.

It does no one any good to provide a source of energy that no one can afford, is not efficient, cannot be maintained and/or destroys in real terms, the environment.

According to energy experts, including oil field engineers, the range of time for extracting new sources of oil is between one and ten years. This means that some sources will only take one year, others three, some five, and still others ten years to start producing. This is because we have several fields, both on shore and off, that are in various states of readiness. In many cases, there is the real need for exploration before drilling, then of course the time consuming process of applying for permits before any drilling of some sites can even start.
For the oil companies, this means an investment in the billions of dollars, but an investment they are willing and prepared to make.

In some cases, such as Gull Island, WA, many wells have already been drilled, but ordered capped by the EPA. Currently the Prudhoe Bay field is producing some two million barrels each day. As the Kuparuk field on Gull Island is at least as large as Prudhoe, possibly even twice as large, and we have already drilled, this oil can be in use in less than one year. There is one caveat though. The oil companies, once they are allowed to pump the oil, are so afraid of what OPEC might do in response, they want a guarantee of $25.00 minimum per barrel. I see no real problem with this.

The last time we decided to significantly increase domestic oil supplies, OPEC dropped prices below cost and took the profit right out of the market. I do not favor government controls of any market, but considering the price of oil as of this writing is above $140.00/barrel, I can live with this guarantee.

Along with the oil comes natural gas reserves. As over 52% of all homes use natural gas for home heating and cooking, it is essential these reserves are also tapped into.
Next is coal. The United States has more coal than anyone in the world. We have new technologies, with more on the way, to use coal efficiently and cleanly. Coal is inexpensive and abundant. Lets go get it!

If this current situation has taught us anything, it is that we must explore new sources of energy. Even Ben Franklin advised not to put all our eggs in one basket. And there are many sources to explore, including some few have ever even heard of. But again, these must be efficient, sustainable and affordable to all.

Some want electric cars. This is fine, but these have a very limited range and still need to be charged using large amounts of electricity that must be produced. This means more power generation, which means we need more power plants.

While they cost the most to build, nuclear power plants are among the most efficient. They are also very clean and actually very safe. The big problem? What to do with the waste! However, countries such as France have pretty much solved the problem simply by recycling the fuel rods! They do not have a problem with waste as there is none. We can have hundred new plants on line by 2020.

Coal fired and natural gas powered plants are also fine, but only if we are allowed to get the fuels for their operation. They are much cheaper and faster to build, but cost more to operate. They are also more volatile in that they are susceptible to price swings in energy costs.
Wind, solar, hydrogen, water, plasma… These are all being looked into for various answers. This is as it should be. Some are thinking the answer lies only with one or two of these, mostly wind and water. I say go for them all!

However, government subsidies should not be considered here. If the government is to have anything to do with the development of any source of fuel or energy source, it should be to allow private enterprises to proceed full steam ahead, making certain that all reasonable laws concerning fraud, the environment and consumer safety are followed.

I do propose a reward program. For those who are the first to develop new sources of energy, as well as vehicles that can run efficiently and affordably, (including the cost to obtain and own the vehicles,) we should reward their efforts. I do not really see things such as a $300 million dollar reward such as Senator McCain has proposed for the development of a new battery, but certainly something that would make a decent incentive to invent and produce. For those who succeed, they will also reap the rewards of putting their ideas into the market place. The rewards should be granted only after the fact. Grants given before hand tend to undermine results. Knowing the reward is waiting upon completion gives a tremendous incentive to work hard and produce real results.

We are America. We should be leading the world. The rest of the world should either follow our example or come running to us for our new products. This will not only reduce our dependence on carbon based fuels in the long run, it will eliminate our dependence on foreign sources of fuel, cause prices to not only stabilize but become affordable for all. We will stimulate the economy in a big way by introducing new products to the national and world markets and provide lots of jobs!