On the subject of Energy

So a big topic these days is the "energy crisis", by which people usually mean that we have increasing prices and demand on energy - especially portable forms of energy like gasoline. It is also closely tied to concerns about global warming and carbon footprints, which shows that folks are worried that the energy we do use is having negative side-effects on the environment. To further confuse this, we are heavily dependant on foreign sources for some types of energy (gasoline, again, being the main culprit). This is a complicated issue, to be sure, but I wanted to provide some thoughts on what I think could be done to help.

To me this can be separated into three sections to make it easier to deal with:

1) Reducing the need for gasoline. We can do this by moving all consumer vehicles to either rechargeable hybrid or full electric, and this is step the government could take through mandates and requirements for cars being sold here in the US. If we can keep gasoline and derivatives of it for use in ships and the trucking industry that would be excellent, and perhaps eventually those could also be converted.

Some people are interested in going to alternate portable energy forms, like natural gas or hydrogen, but to me the costs of researching and implementing these technologies - not to mention the changes that would be needed at fueling stations across the country - would be far too high.

2) Reduce our dependence on foreign sources for oil, especially those in the volatile Middle East. This can be done via further domestic exploration and exploitation of sources, including those in coastal US waters and Alaska. This can't replace all of our current needs, but every little bit helps. Furthermore, if we use the ideas from #1 above we can reduce our consumption while also moving more to our own sources of oil - and perfect combination!

3) Produce more "clean" and renewable power. We already make great use of hydroelectric energy, especially here in the Pacific Northwest, but we should also take as much advantage of solar, wind, and geothermal power as possible. All of those are limited in terms of where they can be used effectively, so wherever they are not appropriate we should fill in with nuclear power (gasp!). I know this makes some folks freak out, but it really is one of the safest and most cost-effective methods of producing electricity. As we move more toward electric power in cars, additional power will be needed here - and I am all for moving away from more polluting energy sources like coal and oil.

That three-pronged attack on our energy crisis would be very effective, I think, and while it would take a decade or two to fully implement that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. If anything, it means we need to move forward sooner rather than later!