Posted on 04/22/2006 9:32:49 AM PDT by SmithL
ST. HELENA, Calif. -- Unable to drive down high oil prices, President Bush is spending Earth Day promoting futuristic hydrogen fuel technology as a way to wean Americans from gas-guzzling vehicles.
After a bike ride near his Napa Valley resort Saturday morning, Bush planned to visit the California Fuel Cell Partnership in West Sacramento for a tour and speech on his energy plan.
The plan does not include any measures that would reduce gas prices in the short term, the White House acknowledges. But with Republicans worried that the increasing cost to drive could hurt them in the voting booth this year, Bush said he understands Americans are hurting.
"I know the folks here are suffering at the gas pump," Bush told an audience Friday in San Jose. "Rising gasoline prices is like taking a — is like a tax, particularly on the working people and the small business people."
But to address the immediate problem, Bush offered only a pledge that "if we find any price gouging it will be dealt with firmly."
The White House hopes the high gas prices will pressure Congress to act on the energy proposals the president outlined in his State of the Union address, such as increased federal research into alternative fuels and batteries for hybrid and electric cars.
Democrats, meanwhile, contend that the Bush administration places too much emphasis on drilling reserves and not enough on alternative fuels.
The promise of hydrogen fuel cell technology in vehicles is a favorite of automakers, environmentalists and politicians because it accomplishes two important goals — automobiles that run on fuel cells would not require gasoline and emit only water.
The problem with the technology is that it's many years away from widespread use.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
well, I don't think government should have any interest in how US citizens go about attaining their fuel or what fuel it is they attain. It certainly shouldn't be stealing money from the populace to prop up a strategy that is more expensive than the current one. Including, incidentally, one that pollutes more.
Let me repeat that, environmentalists pushing for hydrogen are pushing for a fuel that pollutes more, not less.
The goal of 'energy independence' is as shallow and as ridiculous as that of 'automobile independence', and has become little more than political jargon of the meddling elites.
Then Bush is out there talking about price gouging, of which, by definition, there is no such thing.
It is so topsy turvey, it is, frankly, somewhat mindboggling.
The Dept of Energy has sucked down $5 billion a year for 30 years, and if there isn't a gov't solution in hand by now there won't be. The latest example of gov't coming to the rescue was Katrina, and that is probably the best that can be expected. Being $9 trillion in debt can't be of any help, and the private sector is likewise $9 trillion in debt. There isn't much more where that came from. Answer? Horses? Bicycles?
We're better off getting away from the oil dependence (a lessen we should've learned 30 yrs ago during the oil embargo) than worrying about short term costs of adopting new technologies. Gas-electric hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells are two parts of a strategy. Don't be a luddite.
It's not necessarily more polluting to produce the hydrogen than to use oil. The libertarian Reason Institute's think tank's assumption was based on using natural gas plants. That's definitely not the only answer.
When did Bush buy a resort in Napa Valley? Is that to go with his timber company from the 2004 debates?
You aren't alone in your perturbed feeling in that regard.
We have a winner!
Nuclear power should offset the thermodynamic inefficiency of hydrogen production, correct?
How would this be done? Electralysis?
If any of you are interested I just blogged about this article, and this entire issue of high gas prices, which seems to be in the news a lot lately:
http://www.neoperspectives.com/gasoline_and_government.htm
The template is: if something good happens, the Democrats did it. If something bad happens, blame the Republicans.
"Gas prices are high, in spite of President Clinton's best efforts to rein in the Republican Congress."
"Gas prices are high because of Bush and the Republican Congress."
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