Bush strikes again

[gilleshk]

There's a reason why there's been a ban on offshore drilling and why Congress will very likely not follow suit with Bush... The potential environmental damage far outweighs the benefits that oil could provide... The Valdez spill cost over 2 billion just in clean up...

As to renewable energy not being available, well... if as much money had been invested in that as in oil exploration, it might be a different case.

In Canada 60% of electricity is generated by hydro...Currentloy solar technology is expensive and it takes too long to recoup the cost but if oil goes up and there's investment in the technology the costs could go down rapidly. Hydrogen fuel cells by Ballard also working and needing more research to reduce costs and make it affordable to mass produce. Wind farms have been expanding and will continue to do so at an ever growing rate more so with higher costs for oil.

The essence of the technology needed is there, the political will and the money necessary isn't quite yet but it's growing. To suggest offshore drilling is looking backward and pandering to oil barons.

I hope the price of oil quadruples because then other options become more and more attractive and finally this year the Honda Civic has surpassed trucks as the number one selling vehicle. That's certainly not because of style...

[Sleuth]

There's a reason why there's been a ban on offshore drilling and why Congress will very likely not follow suit with Bush... The potential environmental damage far outweighs the benefits that oil could provide... The Valdez spill cost over 2 billion just in clean up...

What does the Valdez have to do with offshore oil drilling? Are you saying the problem isn't the drilling but the transportation?
And a recent poll says 67% of Americans favor offshore drilling. So Bush is just reacting to the shift and Congres will feel the same pressure if gas prices stay where they are.
On U.S. coasts, a rethink on oil drilling? | csmonitor.com

[FilipH]

The current high gas prices that everybody is experiencing is an excellent opportunity to finally starting using more renewable energy. I'd welcome even higher gas prices. Although painful in short term, it will benefit everyone in the longer term (you and your children).

It will force America to change their energy policy. If you are looking at the billions and billions of dollars (and wealth) that are transferred to the oil producing states ... It's crazy.

Finally we can already see some behavior that is changing. There are more reports of people using more public transport, getting cars are more efficient, less SUV's are being bought etc.

Let us hope that the next president has a real energy policy with a long term vision that benefits it's people more then the oil producing states.

[Sleuth]

The current high gas prices that everybody is experiencing is an excellent opportunity to finally starting using more renewable energy. I'd welcome even higher gas prices. Although painful in short term, it will benefit everyone in the longer term (you and your children).

It will force America to change their energy policy. If you are looking at the billions and billions of dollars (and wealth) that are transferred to the oil producing states ... It's crazy.

Finally we can already see some behavior that is changing. There are more reports of people using more public transport, getting cars are more efficient, less SUV's are being bought etc.

Let us hope that the next president has a real energy policy with a long term vision that benefits it's people more then the oil producing states.

What alternative energy source powers a car?
And oil is used for more things than power--plastics, clothing, packaging, manufacturing.

Although I agree that transferring money to oil exporters is crazy and I am all for less SUVs and more public transportation.

Unfortuntely the next Prez will probably give in and simply demonize the oil companies. Which won't solve anything.

[FilipH]

What alternative energy source powers a car?
And oil is used for more things than power--plastics, clothing, packaging, manufacturing.

I'm thinking mostly about electric cars. The technology is here, but we haven't adopted it in great numbers. You also have bio fuels (but have mixed feelings about that since it creates food inflation).

I also have high confidence in the human creativity. When oil prices are high enough, i'm sure we can find solutions for our oil dependency. But at low prices,we don't have the incentive to really look for it.

I'd rather put our tax dollars at work for creating alternative fuel, instead of an easy fix in the form of oil that comes abroad.

[jonnye]

I'm thinking mostly about electric cars. The technology is here, but we haven't adopted it in great numbers. You also have bio fuels (but have mixed feelings about that since it creates food inflation).

You did see the article about the cost of the batteries in Toyota Priuses (or is it Prii)... anyway, apparently the raw materials for the batteries are found in Canada, processed in Europe, stuff done in China, then built into a car in Japan. According to anyway...

Bio-fuels are not the complete solution either. They might well be a partial solution, but cutting our crop productions for food with rising populations doesn't strike me as wise.

My own thinking is that we will evolve and adapt as a race as we have always done. And it probably won't be one big jump, but a matter of small steps. For this reason I think going nuclear is a useful progression. The long term goal should of course be nuclear fusion rather than fission.

[Sleuth]

I'm thinking mostly about electric cars. The technology is here, but we haven't adopted it in great numbers. You also have bio fuels (but have mixed feelings about that since it creates food inflation).

I also have high confidence in the human creativity. When oil prices are high enough, i'm sure we can find solutions for our oil dependency. But at low prices,we don't have the incentive to really look for it.

I'd rather put our tax dollars at work for creating alternative fuel, instead of an easy fix in the form of oil that comes abroad.

Okay, but electric cars get their power from electricty which comes, in the US anyway, mostly from coal/gas/oil.
The US biofuel industry is a political thing. Making fuel from corn is senseless unless you are under the thumb of the farm lobby. (Thank you Algore who began the nonsense when he cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of ethanol back in 1994.) It's only costing the US taxpayer about $7 billion per year to produce a fuel that is worse than burning the gasoline and running up corn prices and meat prices. Given Congressional mandates, in 14 years the current US corn crop will be entirely devoted to fuel. (Okay, this is obviously a sore spot for me.)
But I agree with your last two paragraphs. Let's just channel the money into something that makes sense, which isn't corn fuel.