Posted on 06/24/2018 6:25:17 AM PDT by rktman
People over 50 remember the OPEC oil embargoes and Americans waiting in line to buy gasoline. We were the most powerful nation the world. We had won World War II, rebuilt Europe and Japan. Yet, here we were begging some faceless Middle Eastern Sheiks for a few gallons so we could get to work. It was both frustrating and humiliating.
The answers we got from our political leadership were pathetic. Yes, they authorized farmers to start making ethanol and gave tax credits to the big refineries to get them to blend it. Congress created a Department of Energy to look for new sources of energy. They came up with some interesting ideas, but most of them were far too expensive. Americans were told to slow down, dial back on the thermostat and buy more sweaters. In short, the days of affordable energy were over and we would just have to get used to it.
Adding insult to injury, we were told that it was our fault.
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
Summary: The solutions provided by the politicians (poli-sci and other non intellectual marshmallow majors) weren’t worth excrement.
The solutions provided by scientists and engineers worked.
Hmmmm, perhaps there is a lesson there somewhere.
(Yes, I know this is not always true...but then again....)
Understatement of the day. How about active opposition by the federal government.
I also remember that Congress authorized the Alternative Energy Fuel tax on gasoline ($0.05/gal, I think) that was supposed to be used to develop alternative energy sources. I wonder if that tax is still in place and if it ever resulted in one additional gallon for fuel for anyone, or did it end up in the general fund to buy free cell phones for deadbeats so they could get reelected?
Prez Carter said to burn newspapers and put another sweater on.
Never heard of it. There are many subsidies and tax breaks for alt-fuels, but I've never run across that one in particular. Was it specific to a certain state?
BTW, alt-fuel tax breaks and subsidies are thankfully in decline.
Why hasn’t President Trump disbanded the corrupt Dept. Of Energy?That Department hasn’t produced a Watt of electricity,A pound of coal or a gallon of gasoline during its existence.
Kill it now.
Our energy problems are a matter of political manipulation form paid off politicians
“BTW, alt-fuel tax breaks and subsidies are thankfully in decline.”
I’ll believe it when I see ethanol subsidies eliminated. These tax credits and associated subsidies have made whores out of Midwest farmers and of course their congressional representatives their pimps. Appears to me we consumers are stuck with it.
Yeah, don’t even think about touching that corn.
And then Reagan deregulated the price of oil.
During that period, the price of oil went from $25 per barrel to $100 per barrel. We ran out of $25 oil.
If you go back to the 70s, we ran out of $12 oil.
I was just a kid then but I remember when we ran out $2 oil in the 50s.
That's the way it is with oil and all fossil fuels.
Probably everybody remembers the natural gas shortages in 2000. In California Swartzenegger replace Gray Davis and in Texas Cornyn replaced Phil Gramm.
Back then, only Texas and California had begun the shift from coal to natural gas. Now, many states are using natural gas to generate power so the next natural gas shortage will be severe.
Everybody is going to be mad at Trump because he is sending all the US natural gas to China, India and Germany.
I don't know about anywhere else, but here in Jefferson city Mo. we have the National Bio Diesel Board that promotes the use of bio diesel. They survive on large government grants. I know someone who works there and gets paid very well.
Having multiple vehicle in the fam solved the odd-even thing.
Driving a truck with twin gas tanks to Canada and back also allowed a supply to be distributed among other vehicles at home. Dangerous though during the transfers.
It was a terrible time of lame government interference.
Mobil 1 lube is created from nat gas.
Sounds like some form of collusion?
Are the Russians in this?
Does Mueller have this on his to-do list?
There was a specific claim about dedicated federal fuel tax allotment. Alt-fuels subsidies are stolen from the general Treasury like most things Congress spends on, AFAIK.
Erroeneous title.
We are not “energy independent” due to “shale” or anything else. We are importing the energy equivelant of about 10 million barrels a day, or close to 20% of U.S. consumption. Yes, that represents imports at less of a % than in the past. But consumption has also gone up about 880 million barrles a year since 2014, and with a growing economy likely to grow more. The question - as to “energy independence” is not can we get even more from domestic production, but can domestic production grow to exceed domestic consumption. THAT is the development to which we can claim “energy independence”.
Nothing wrong with the article’s sentiemnts. It is simply EMPTY of data and facts showing exactly what the U.S. oil production and consumption picture really is.
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