Quote:
Originally Posted by danielpalos
I can understand your position. However, how much further along in the energy technology 'discovery' process would we be, if we didn't need to waste those tax dollars on foreign entanglements that can be attributed to non-renewable resources and that have nothing to do with energy development? The point is, that there are many alternatives to finding energy solutions, that do not require socio-political problems to be manufactured in the process (as a form of pollution).
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In this response you are mixing two different problems. I take it from your reply that you feel we are in Iraq and Afghanistan for the sake of stable oil prices. If you look at our oil imports you will find that we import most of our oil from Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.
US Oil Imports (2006) Thousands of Bbls, pct
Saudi Arabia 534,143 10.68%
Venezuela 517,947 10.35%
Nigeria 406,662 8.13%
Algeria 239,959 4.80%
Iraq 201,866 4.03%
Canada 858,839 17.17%
Mexico 622,408 12.44%
Russia 134,646 2.69%
Source:
U.S. Total Crude Oil and Products Imports
If oil were the reason we invaded Iraq, we would have been much better off going into Nigeria. In 2006 we imported 201.866 million Bbls of oil from Iraq. If we are spending $10 billion a month to maintain our troops there ($120 B/yr), that works out to around $600 per bbl. If you believe the numbers that say $15 B/mo that works out to about $900 per bbl of oil. The point I want to make is we didn't go to Iraq to steal their oil. We could have bought their entire production for less.
Quote:
Originally Posted by danielpalos
In the case of ANWR, I think we already have sufficient technology development to not have to drill within the confines of a preserve. Consider a hypothetical scenario where oblique drilling techniques are employed to deliver that energy resource directly to a pumping station already connected to a pipeline.
If we consider a hypothetical situation where we didn't have any political requirement to spend money on non-productive foreign entanglements, and instead spent that money (as a form of opportunity cost) in developing better methods of generating solar or other renewable energy sources, we would be able to make significant advances to our standard of living simply by implementing be methods of harnessing renewable energy sources.
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I think I need to make my point again, and a little clearer. Certain energy sources lend themselves to certain applications more readily than others. We are not going to replace the internal combustion engine as a source of mobile power. In very high density areas like New York City, mass transit makes sense. But in most of America, the auto is king. We can replace outdated fossil fuel electric generation plants with nuclear or in some cases with hydro. But going down the road on ethanol rather than gasoline doesn't change our quality of life on little bit except it's more expensive.
Finally, allow me to say that if you don't produce more energy in concert with our population and economic growth, our quality of life will degrade. Eventually there will be severe energy shortages like you saw in California. Everyday products will cost more and more due to escalating energy costs. Mobility will become more and more restricted. Entrepreneurial opportunities will become more scarce. And no amount of new light bulbs will solve those problems.
So we face a stark choice. Do you want a new source of electricity (like the Tellico Dam) or do you want to save the snail darter? Do you want to pay more and more for a gallon of gas, or do you want to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? Do you want to keep importing more and more oil and be involved in the associated geopolitics or do you want to develop domestic sources?
As for me, I don't really care. My generation of engineers tried to give us the solutions but were stopped by environmentalist concerns. I'm retired now and very little can alter my personal situation. But the young folks have to get along and so do their kids. I can only wish them a lot of luck.
RichardJ