[Citizen Tom Paine]

The United States has a large pool of skilled personnel, and we have access to skilled personnel throughout the world. There are several steps which could be taken.
1. Shift our electric power production to nuclear as far as possible.
2. Build plants to convert coal into petroleum and/or petroleum products.
3. Send out geophysical exploration teams throughout North America, the continental shelf, and the deep ocean to look for petroleum and natural gas deposits. Begin to exploit those which are commercially feasible at this time.
4. Begin to use other noncommercial sources of petroleum, e.g., oil shale rocks in the west, extracting more oil from existing oil fields, and the oil in clay deposits in the southeastern United States.
5. Begin the testing and use of biofuels and innovative technologies to produce them. (There is a lot of good, basic biological research required in this area.)
6. Develop feasible fission power plants.
7. Exploit the natural resources within our borders and offshore and where feasible those of the deep ocean.
8. Encourage real conservation measures. I always personally felt that motorcycles commuting should be encouraged as an example.
9. Consider using limestone (calcium carbonate) as a carbon source.
10. Turn loose some of our best and brightest minds on the problems - think the Manhattan project.
11. Pray as required.

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

100% agreed.

Now why in the heck isn’t it happening?

[MizSterious]

12. Start drilling in my back yard, where we know there’s a pretty good oil field—but it’s still cheaper for them to get it from our enemies.

[afnamvet]

13. Companies whose business is accomplished with the use of computers, have their employees work from either home or satellite locations. This would save tremendous amounts of fuel and would benefit air quality.