Hussein could lower the price of energy tomorrow. By presidential order he could:
1) End the blending of "boutique" gasoline.
2) Approve ALL outstanding drilling permits immediately.
3) Open up all areas in Alaska and off both coasts for drilling.
4) Fast track the Keystone pipeline project.
These moves alone would decrease the price of a barrel of oil dramatically. They would have the added benefit of spurring job growth. They would not cost the government a penny and would generate billions in taxes.
For the longer term he could announce a real comprehensive energy program along these lines:
1) End all subsidies for "green" energy programs including and especially ethanol.
2) Announce a billion dollar program to build six coal to oil plants.
3) Grant all pending permits for coal mining and open up federal lands to coal.
4) Announce a billion dollar program to build six nuclear plants using new technology centered around "pebble bed" or thorium reactors. These reactors would be located on the coasts and could be twinned with desalination plants that turn saltwater into freshwater. Run the water plants at night when energy use is less.
5) Announce a billion dollar program to help develop shale oil and algae/bacteria to oil schemes.
6) Close the Department of Energy and the EPA.
The money you save closing those two departments and the extra tax money generated would fund those three billion dollar programs.
Oil prices would drop like a stone.
Now, if I can come up with this stuff, off the top of my head, why doesn't Hussein do any of this? Either he doesn't think it would work, in which case he is either stupid or ideologically blinded. Or, he is not interested in lower energy prices. I think it is a combination of both.
I’ll sign on to all that. Just develop all we have in the US. Process it here, and use it here.
Tariff the hell out of any oil that leaves the country.
Because he hates America as it is and wants to destroy our way of life. He wants to humble us.
4) Announce a billion dollar program to build six nuclear plants using new technology centered around "pebble bed" or thorium reactors. These reactors would be located on the coasts and could be twinned with desalination plants that turn saltwater into freshwater. Run the water plants at night when energy use is less.
5) Announce a billion dollar program to help develop shale oil and algae/bacteria to oil schemes.
6) Close the Department of Energy and the EPA.
Who would run the coal-to-oil, nuclear, and desalinization plants? I'd expect that if the Federal government is going to fork over the money, then they'd be the one's running it.
And do we really want the Fed doing that? Maybe make the funds a reinbursement program for anyone who'd be willing to build the plants, instead.
As for the Department of Energy and EPA, according to budget figures, you'd save a total of $36.8 billion by shutting both down. Which would definitely start to help in getting our Federal budget under control.
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy10/pdf/budget/energy.pdf
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy10/pdf/budget/environmental.pdf