Monday, December 8, 2008
Although my hopes were revived on Election Night, that great night in history, my dreams of clean air, clean water, ecological justice, wind turbines, solar panels, and effective environmental policies and laws have yet to come true. It is time to get to work, President-elect Obama.
The United States spends $700 billion a year on imported oil — it is time for “New Energy for America.” It has become clear through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that our oil dependency poses a serious threat to our national security. We should question why our dependence is so high and why we feel it necessary to securitize oil in the first place. In doing this, we should find alternative ways to cost-effectively use renewable resources to take true steps toward our country’s energy independence.
The inefficient processes common to most industries date back to the days of the Industrial Revolution. But we have come a long way politically and culturally, so why not technologically?
We have actually developed clean energy technologies; the problems instead lie in the political powers and subsidies given to fossil fuel production. But the even more pertinent problem lies in our cultural demand for oil, coal and natural gas to give us cheap electricity.
Sadly, the only thing that will develop cheaper renewable technologies is a steady incline in prices because people take action when it hits their pocketbook.
Ironically, today’s gas prices have dramatically dropped to well below $2 per gallon — a price I never thought I would see again in my lifetime.
We should be worried that the fall in gas prices will distract our new president from dealing with the environmental issues that plague our country because people can afford gas again and will no longer be concerned with polluting our environment and changing their energy consumption patterns.
The main argument distracting from further developing and implementing renewable energy technologies is that Americans needs a reliable, cheap source of fuel and electricity, and until that is given to us, our mantra will continue to be “drill, baby, drill.”
Although economically understandable, this argument still ceases to address the deeper issue of why we “need” and use so much fuel and electricity. Instead, we need to change our basic consumption patterns and re-teach ourselves to consume less, drive fewer gas-guzzling vehicles and use electricity-sucking appliances less often.
We have so greatly affected our natural world that we are in a new era: the Anthropocene. I hope this new era brings about change. Thank goodness Obama agrees that climate change and our energy crisis are major issues. Our country cannot afford politics as usual.
Now is the time for change. Now is the time for the new generation to take over. Now is the time for us.
— — Hernandez is a Hutchinson junior in environmental studies and international studies.
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Comments
Guest: How Americans can find independence
Anyone who has paid attention to this knows that oil companies have been dramatically reducing future investments as oil prices have dropped recently. They will make this up by inflating prices again in 6 to 12 months as the global economy starts to speed back up again. So don't worry about people forgetting about the issue. Gas will be back to $3 before you know it and every columnist will be writing about it again.
You are right that our dependence on foreign oil is a security threat and that we need to work toward more environmentally safe and nationally independent ways of producing energy. We can move in this direction by drilling domestically though. Obama himself acknowledges that the U.S. has more than 50 years of self sustaining oil reserves. This is a source of leverage and safety. This is also a source of great revenue that can be put into developing clean energy. The solution isn’t to stop drilling. It’s to revise the way we have structured drilling rights.
The right answer isn't to build more hummers nor to get rid of all SUV. These things are part of our national identity. There is a middle ground that is beneficial to everyone.
Guest: How Americans can find independence
The solution is to use less energy so that we do not have to drill for more oil domestically. Continued drilling domestically will not change our dependence - it just makes it less of a security threat. Eventually, even if it is many years down the line, we will run out of fossil fuels. Then what? We have to think about our future and the future of our children and grandchildren. That is the point of my essay. But I thank you for your comments.
Guest: How Americans can find independence
there are some really sweet hybrid cars that are coming down the pipe in the future- like the Chevy Volt (a plug-in hybrid). This should help reduce the impact of high gas prices of those who need a car.
The real way to conserve our petroleum resources, and to save some money- is to take public transportation, walk, ride a bike, ride a skateboard or any other means of getting around that doesn't involve driving. Public Transportation is crucial to reducing our demand on foreign oil, reducing traffic congestion and enhancing our community. KU seems to realize the advantages of public transportation-we have the highest ridership of any bus system in the state of Kansas and we save money by not having to build another expensive parking garage.
Guest: How Americans can find independence
I agree that our focus should be centered on creating more efficient means of production, but I think domestic drilling can be part of that solution. Domestic drilling can make us far less dependent. As I said, Obama himself has recognized that the U.S. can be 100% independent of foreign oil for at least 50 years if we drilled more domestically. People in the oil industry say that number is closer to 100 years. That's $700 billion going back into the U.S every year instead of to foreign pockets.
Just like we can't let the auto industry die, we can't let the American oil industry die. It likely employs more people than the auto industry. But, like the auto industry, it needs to begin changing its business model, now, not when oil runs out. It needs to maximize profits to help create means of clean energy. Oil companies need to obtain the profit they can from oil before it’s too late and prices start to decrease more permanently because of other means of energy.
I’m not trying to attack you or anything. I appreciate your piece.
Guest: How Americans can find independence
yeah, exepct obama is just taking use of some misguided talking point... drilling at home won't change a thing, it's a small, very small drop in our oil consumption.
Guest: How Americans can find independence
Oliveira, that the point. It's not just a small drop. Read into it and you'll find that its pretty common knowledge that on U.S. soil and off the coast there is enough oil to be completely self sustainable for more than 50 years.
This isn't a curse. Ultimately, creating clean energy and more efficient means of production costs money. That's why we gave the auto industry loans a few years ago, to help them offset the costs of developing more efficient cars. But even though it was billions of dollars, it wasn't nearly enough. Instead of using tax payer money to help oil companies, allow those businesses to flourish but force them to spend their profits to change their business models and developed cleaner fuels.
Guest: How Americans can find independence
yeah. we gave them the money and they decided to build hummers with it.
common knowledge? among who? sarah palin and exxon? "drill baby drill" fanatics?
here you go, some "common knowledge": http://www.nrdc.org/air/transportatio...
it's a short read...
and here is something just to give you an idea of the change off-shore drilling will make: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/other...
a simplified graph: http://sustainablog.org/2008/09/19/en...
oh, and that darn global economy... http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment...
Guest: How Americans can find independence
Here is a gov (the DOE) source citing that we have more than 1 trillion barrels of oil available in the US. If we use about 7.8 billion barrels a year, than we have more than 100 years of self sustainable use.
http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs...
This is the problem. You want to look at as a Zero Sum game. Drilling can help create sustainable and clean energy. Give oil companies drilling rights to these areas but force them to use 50% of the profits to work on better forms of energy. Where do you suppose the money is going to come from to magically create technology to reduce our emissions and energy use? Drilling can be a solution to a problem.
It doesn’t matter, I’ll wager you anything you want, that eventually, those companies will get rights to drill in Utah and Alaska and anywhere else they want. Every politician buckled at the knees when gas hit $4 this summer. Think what happens to gas prices if there is a regional war in the Middle East.
Guest: How Americans can find independence
of which, according to that source, less than half are recoverable.
here is a good overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_rese...
Guest: How Americans can find independence
The current technology used to drill is far from what oil companies are capable of using. American and British companies know that drilling in the Middle East will taper off well before the oil runs out because those countries have neglected to invest in better drilling techniques. Meanwhile, Western oil companies invest huge sums of money in better drilling. This means if Middle Eastern countries want to tap more difficult to reach oil reserve, they will be at the mercy of Western oil companies.
We can reach that oil if we need to. If it’s profitable. It is in the U.S interest to reach that oil. First, the oil industry dyeing means millions of U.S. workers without jobs. It's a huge industry that provides a lot of money in the U.S.--more if we allowed domestic drilling. Second, tapping oil profits is a huge sum of money that can be used to produce better technology for cleaner energy. No one in this discussion has explained where that money is going to come from otherwise. Finally, producing our own oil protects us from global conflicts and allows us to isolate ourselves more. Is Iraq about oil if we aren't so dependent on the Middle East? Does Iraq even happen?
Guest: How Americans can find independence
While hybrid technology is great - here is the kicker about it, the largest producer of hybrid cars, Ford Motor Co. Americans continue to ignore the availability of hybrids because a slightly used Honda Civic which gets good gas mileage is under ten thousand, a hybrid thirty-five thousand dollars at least. Screw the oil - if America will do as Barack asks and invest in a new electrical grid (which we haven't updated since Eisenhower) then we will dramatically and in one fell swoop reduce energy costs and needs.
The discussion keeps returning to oil and how we can drill. Quit being so single-minded. Kansas is the largest wind corridor in North America but Kansas legislators spent last year arguing over an additional five coal plants, how can that be? We need to buck up - we're entering a depression and I feel like we're going to have the same New Deal programs to upgrade the systems (it probably was the last time we did too) and if we utilize the opportunity properly solar will be installed in the west, wind in the plains, hydro in the midwest and on the east coast those cool bouy things that collect energy somehow.