On Energy

As I age I realized my energy level is not what it was a few years ago. This means I cannot perform tasks as quickly as in the past. However, personal energy to work, to play, and to ride my bike is not the kind of energy I want to discuss today.

I want to talk about the other energy; the energy that powers our economy and our national life as we are the most mobile people in the world.

For more than 100 years petroleum has fueled the world. The use of fossil fuels is the source of our standard of living, the reason for our productivity, the reason for our prosperity, and until a practical and useful replacement is found, will continue to be the major source of the energy used in this world.

That is just the way it is.

Which is why I cannot understand the lack of a sensible energy policy by our national government. Democrats oppose every effort to develop new sources of fossil fuel. At the same time these Democrats complain about high energy costs and our dependence on foreign sources. Yet they refuse to recognize the obvious.

We must use our own sources to increase supply and lower the cost to the economy. The United States is the third largest producer of oil in the world. And the US has proven reserves and undeveloped fields that could last for centuries ( and give us freedom from foreign sources) if only Congress would do the right thing and authorize development of these vast untapped reserves.

Why won't Congress allow more exploration and development of our reserves?

Mainly it is political dogma and ideology that keeps us from becoming energy independent.

If it were up to me I would do this:

1. Use ANWR. The folks in Alaska are all for it but are held hostage by the elites from the extreme coasts.

2. Use shale oil which by some reports hold billions and billions of barrels of oil.

3. Use nuclear power. If the French can use it to produce most of their electricity, why can't we?

4. Use wind power by installing wind mills (first at Cape Cod to prove that the famous and rich do not escape their social responsibility)

5. Develop new souces of energy including hydrogen, electric, and new methods to power our vehicles.

6. The Chinese are beginning to develop Cuba's offshore oil fields only a few miles from our coast, yet the Democrats refuse to allow more offshore drilling by Americans. Why?

7. We must do more to conserve energy.

Energy.

I wish I had more of it.