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Politics : Rat's Nest - Chronicles of Collapse -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (10656)	5/25/2010 12:27:35 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24224

Disastrous oil spill further greases the energy crisis By Tom Wharton Tribune Columnist Updated: 05/13/2010 02:33:54 PM MDT Americans act as if gasoline comes from a pump and electricity from a switch. But a recent string of environmental and human disasters reminds us that there are consequences to our cravings for cheap energy. The Louisiana oil spill that killed 11 workers and threatens what my New Orleans friend Bob Marshall writes is a vital wintering or resting spot for more than 70 percent of the nation's migratory waterfowl is the most obvious current crisis. So, all you Sarah Palin lovers, how's that "drill baby drill" thingy workin' for ya? Miners are dying digging up polluting coal so we can have electricity. In Utah, we want to suck the Green River almost dry to provide nuclear power with no clue as to what to do about the waste. The fact that there might be years when this might cause water levels at lakes Powell and Mead to drop so low that they can't produce cleaner hydroelectric power isn't discussed. A company proposes an ocean wind farm to produce electricity near the Massachusetts coastline and locals protest because their view might be affected. We are running out of cheap, easy-to-find energy, and unless we begin to figure out what to do about it, we're facing an economic disaster. We put ourselves at the mercy of the oil companies and threaten revolution when gas prices begin to rise while we call politicians mandating better gas mileage socialists. We extol the virtues of the free enterprise system until the law of supply and demand kicks in and gas rises above $5 a gallon, then we blame our politicians who have pandered to us ever since they saw what happened to Jimmy Carter when he tried to force us to conserve with 55-mph speed limits and promoted personal sacrifice and conservation. We cheer a vacuous rabble rouser like Palin when she screams "drill baby drill." No matter that we're going to pollute our shorelines, foul our air, help warm our planet, ruin some of the last remaining pristine wilderness and threaten wildlife of all kinds. We look to pandering politicians with sound-bite slogans to solve impossibly complicated problems. We in the outdoor community certainly aren't blameless. Whether we drive our hybrids to a trailhead to go backpacking; fill up our boats, RVs, SUVs or ATVs with cheap gasoline; or take an airplane halfway around the world on vacation, we continue to use oil like there is no tomorrow. But tomorrow is closer than we might like to think, and it isn't looking pretty. The future could go a couple of ways. We can continue on our present course for perhaps another decade or two, extracting as much fossil energy as we can from a hurting planet, destroying pristine wild places and perhaps our oceans in the process and taking only minimal steps at conservation, all the while paying higher and higher energy prices as our economy and lifestyles decline. Then a real energy crisis hits and who knows what will happen to not only our economy or way of life but the very future of our country. Or we can be more proactive now. That might involve the unpopular but probably necessary step of raising the gasoline tax or even taxing all types of energy. This would promote conservation, give automakers seeking new ways to power our vehicles incentive to find solutions even quicker, help reduce air pollution and preserve what's left of our oil reserves. Such a tax should be dedicated only to investing in new sources of energy, something with the potential to save the planet, create jobs and eliminate our frightening dependence on foreign oil. Take away tax breaks to oil companies and give them to companies with real ideas for the future. That would require some sacrifice on our part, something our weak so-called leaders fear asking us to do because we've been spoiled for so long by abundant, cheap energy. The second course of action seems the most logical, but then in an age of "drill baby drill" when political discourse too often sounds like dueling sound bites by money-making industry shills and politicians more interested in their re-election than actually doing something to help the common good, we will probably wait until a real crisis. Unfortunately, then it will likely be too late. Tom Wharton is an outdoors and travel columnist. Reach him at wharton@sltrib.com or 801-257-8909. sltrib.com