I wonder if we might get their attention if several million folks sent a message such as this one to their legislators. And given the $$$$ the Middle East potentates surreptitiously funnel into our political campaigns, it will TAKE millions!
It’s NOW time to do the following things to break our dependence on FOREIGN supplies for our URGENT energy needs:
1. SPEED the permitting and construction of NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS HERE. If France can safely generate 80% of THEIR needs with nukes, what’s OUR problem?
2. Immediately begin safe and ecologically sensitive drilling of the MASSIVE U.S. OIL SHALE DEPOSITS (Bakken Formation and others) and our off-shore coastal regions.
3. Immediately ease the permitting of NEW REFINERIES HERE (ecologically sensitive, of course.)
4. Halt the IDIOTIC CORN ETHANOL based fuel program. It may be popular with agribusiness legislators and their pals BUT it is a NET ENERGY LOSER (more units IN than come OUT – DUUUHHHHH!) This goofy program is – along with the oil situation – killing Americans on food prices but ACTUALLY killing FOLKS in other parts of the world. And THAT’S not only STUPID — it’s IMMORAL.
And here’s a REAL benefit American families can understand: Once we’re no longer dependent on oil from the Middle East, we can bring our troops home and let those folks go back to doing what they’ve honed into an art form over their several thousand year history – killing one another instead of OUR boys and girls. Heck, once we’re out of there, they might even get along for a few decades.
I call my congress people several times a day.. we need to do like we did with the immigration amnesty, clog up their phone lines for several days..or longer if necessary...I love asking my house member what happened to Nancy Pelosi, and her commonsense approach to lowering gas prices...
Electrical generating plants are constructed in the country by private companies. Why aren't they asking to build more nuclear plants? One reason is that nuclear plants cost too much to operate compared with oil and coal-fired plants. Apparently one reason the French plants can operate is that they are able to sell surplus off-peak power to other European customers. We don't have similar power-hungry neighbors with equivalent populations.
2. Immediately begin safe and ecologically sensitive drilling of the MASSIVE U.S. OIL SHALE DEPOSITS (Bakken Formation and others) and our off-shore coastal regions.
You can't drill for oil in oil shale deposits. No one has found an efficient, large-scale way to extract oil from oil shale (which in fact does not even contain oil). The Bakken formation is not oil shale.
3. Immediately ease the permitting of NEW REFINERIES HERE (ecologically sensitive, of course.)
According to recent statements by T. Boone Pickens (who should know), we do not have a refinery shortage because current refineries are only operating at about 83% capacity.