75% of all the oil used in this country is used up as gas in our automobiles. To reduce our oil consumption from 20 million barrels per day to 10 million bpd, all it would take is increasing average mpg on our cars from 25 mpg to 35 mpg. To reduce it by 75%, all we'd need to do is increase average mpg to 40. That is doable with today's technology. Mandate that every car on the road be a hybrid electric and you've accomplished the goal. The Bush oil men will always argue that oil independence is pie in the sky. It's not. They just want to convince you the goal is impossible, so you won't demand that our gov't lead us off oil dependence, so the Bush and the oil men can't continue lining their pockets.
Who cares if China or India buys up the oil we don't consume and keeps the price of oil high. That's not point. That is Bush thinking. The point isn't to bring the price of oil down, although reducing U.S. demand by 15 mbpd would lead to a global oil price collapse all by itself. I bet you didn't know that the U.S. imports 15 mbpd, whereas China only imports about 2.6 mbpd. So China and India will NOT soak up all the oil we don't buy. Rather, the lack of U.S. demand would send prices crashing.
Anyway, the point is to not need to buy oil from other countries at all. Then our economy won't suffer every time their is an oil spike. In addition, we won't be funding our enemies. Not only that, but I can guarantee you that if the U.S., the world's largest consumer of oil manages to ween itself off of oil dependency, then China, India and the rest of the world will pull out all the stops to do the same. Then you will see oil demand and prices collapse, leaving the Middle East in shambles, the environment clean, and our economy stronger than ever. |
