If you were in charge,
Hmmmm.....
King for a day...big topic
First of all, I'd get rid of the gov't subsidies for solar and wind. I think these are a waste of time and money. They do not fit well into the scheme of things, for many reasons. The subsidies are only there to try and move them into the market. Who gives a shit if they're expensive as hell? I do. Even if they grew very rapidly they'd still wouldn't even be one percent of the total energy demand.
Those forms of energy make no economic sense...all they do is make people 'feel' good.
The same with ethanol....it is insanity to use a food crop for fuel. To replace only 10% of our gasoline usage would require nearly 1/6th of our crop land.
I know, ethanol was first introduced as a possible replacement for the carcinogen MTBE....but somewhere, somehow people thought it was the magic elixir.
And like it or not...the vast majority of oil is in the Middle East. The global economy will continue to rely on the ME for their oil. We are just a small part of the total global economy. Stabilization in these areas is the key.
So...as King...I say drill here, drill there, and then drill some more. California, Alaska, Gulf of Mexico, Florida. We really have no idea what is out there. The Deepwater Horizon well at conservative estimates was 60,000 barrels a day. That is a huge well.
As more discoveries worldwide are made, the percentage of oil being supplied by the Middle East will decline. Thereby lessening their importance to a degree.
Also, efficiency and conservation at home will help....but it must be free market principles.
And...when we speak of energy there are essentially two kinds. 1.) oil which makes us move 2.) coal/nuclear/gas which keeps the lights on
(disclaimer) As you know, I am in the nuke business. I think more nukes need to be built...good clean baseline power. However, you can't just plop one of them suckers anywhere. They need water...and lots of it.
That being said, even if you have the siting and the water concerns taken care of...it is the grid that is the problem. If one is to add 1,000 MW to the already precarious electrical grid, it doesn't do much good if you can't get it into the system.
So as part of a comprehensive energy policy...distribution is a big obstacle. Whether it's natural gas and pipelines or nukes and transmission lines. We are severely lacking in both of these regards.
And the green libtards will fight tooth and nail to prevent expansion of such. There is an enormous amount of gas in already drilled wells that have no pipeline to market. The permitting process is just horrendous.
So...we just need to develop what is economically viable and support the infrastructure to deliver what is developed.
This is a simple reply |
