William Ellard

My U.S. Infrastructure and Employment Plan

"40 million low income Americans already pay no income taxes so replacing income tax with a carbon tax is not revenue neutral to these people."

Derryl:
Thanks for your thoughts. The above is not correct - it is hard to give my full view in a small article. Here is more of my tax shift from my article I wrote for seekingalpha on the Pickens plan:

"To offset the regressive nature of consumption taxes, the US could change the wage tax structure. Currently, low income earners pay 15.3% SS wage tax, and since the tax stops at around 100K, high wage earners pay a much smaller %. A new structure could be the first 12K of w-2 with a zero SS tax rate, then 15% up to 150K of w-2 income. With the above consumption tax revenue, the income tax rates could be lower at all levels."

I also am not in favor of a carbon tax - but a tax on NOx, SOx, and mercury. Here is an article about the REAL cost to us citizens from pollution:

"The study, which examined the costs of air pollution in two areas with the worst levels in the country, also said meeting federal ozone and fine particulate standards could save $28 billion annually in health care costs, school absences, missed work and lost income potential from premature deaths."

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20...

My U.S. Infrastructure and Employment Plan

Tomas and Creative:
Thanks for the input. I also see the fast recharge electric engine as better than NG engines. NG would be the 10 year bridge to auto battery technology. The well to wheel efficiency is the best with electric.

Many others have seen solar, and wind as too expensive. This is not true. CSP(thermal) and new thin film CIGS solar technology are now at grid parity. Do your own due diligence, but this in not science fiction - but science fact.

Go to the NREL's web site to see some of the new technologies being developed as we speak. Also once we have cap n trade or pollution taxation - solar and wind will be the cheapest sources of grid electricity.

This plan is just a starting point for discussion. Many variations exist. These infra projects can only be done by the government. When it comes to the public good, or negative externalities - only the US can come in and help create free efficient markets.

Let keep the dialog going - send this plan or your version of an infrastructure plan to Obama's economic team. Ideas from the ground up seem to be the most powerful!

Implementing Pickens' Plan for Public Energy Policy

Brahm;
"T. Boone has been pushing is diesel derived from NG" I don't think this is the case - and again I do not wish to pick the winner - let the market work.

Some in the US are paying less than $1 a gallon for NG, not diesel from NG......

Implementing Pickens' Plan for Public Energy Policy

Hick;
20 years ago I spent a month in the flattop mtn - great trout fishin. I am sorry about the range issue - I did not understand the query.

Go to the Tesla web site - I think the range is over 250-300 per charge, and that is for a high performance rig.

You could have an truck and bring with you a thin film solar system and charge up in the backcountry!


Also we could have bio-diesel - I use bio-diesel right now in my Golf tdi and get 50 mpg.
Any diesel vehicle could run bio-diesel, but if these vehicles were designed and manufactures for bio-diesel - they would work even better.

Implementing Pickens' Plan for Public Energy Policy

"use of natural gas for diesel and transportation as proposed by T. Boone. The efficiency of conversion of natural gas to diesel is only about 50%"

Brahm;
I do not understand what you are talking about - no one is talking about NG to diesel conversion? Also if you read the article, I am not proposing the NEW alternative to oil based engines - my view is let energy efficiencies and real free markets(include all cost - pollution) decide the winners.....

Implementing Pickens' Plan for Public Energy Policy

Allen;
Thanks for you thoughts. The move from income taxation to consumption taxation will increase productivity and the economy. Income taxes are a disincentive to create wealth, and an incentive to cheat......

Also these energy taxes will create a huge amount of high paying jobs. Venture capital firms have the money - but will not fund alternatives yet. - This money - 100's of billions is waiting for a comprehensive plan that will allow renewables to compete on a level playing field.

Just changing out the service station to have NG, and fast charge electric would be a huge boost to the economy.

Implementing Pickens' Plan for Public Energy Policy

"They will not voluntarily support higher gas prices. "

They will support paying $200 bucks more in gas a month, if they get 300 bucks more a month in take home pay. That is what my tax plan is all about.

You are correct - the fear mongers will just scream about the high gas prices.....we need to combat this.

Implementing Pickens' Plan for Public Energy Policy

"one concern I have about electric engines is range"

Hick;
Fast charge electric devices have been around for years. Service stations could be fitted with such devices. How long will you have to wait for a complete charge? I do not know 10 minutes? - but I know how greed works in our economy - this would be a huge infrastructure change with 50-100 billion dollars at stake - it will get done!

And remember, we currently spend 700 billion buying oil from other countries!

Implementing Pickens' Plan for Public Energy Policy

"I say Drill,Drill Drill. Build Nuke power plants. natural gas cars, solar power, Coal. Lets do them all and may the winner stand up!!"

Hi Riley;
I fully agree. Let economics pick the winners. But you need to add back in the cost of pollution to those energy sources that pollute - well to wheel.

If you don't add in the pollution costs, then the markets are not fair or free markets. Wind, solar, geothermal, CTL, bio fuels, natural gas, electric engines - are all economically disadvantaged because the polluting sources - Oil, coal - are basically subsidized since they don't pay for the pollution they produce......

Implementing Pickens' Plan for Public Energy Policy

Hi Max;
Thanks for your comments. Please read my article again - I am proposing at tax decrease for workers. Increase in pollution/gas taxes, with an even bigger increase in take home w-2 pay with the change to the SS tax, and all income taxes lower.

This shift from income taxes to consumption taxes has about a 20% gain since we will be taxing the underground economy, and not honest taxpayers.....

Currently the use of gasoline creates an enormous amount of pollution in the US - and many health problems for individuals, and our water and air. Check out the US health care cost just associated with air pollution. Then you will see these REAL costs have never been incorporated into the price of the polluting products.

This is the concept of negative externalities:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

Implementing Pickens' Plan for Public Energy Policy

Hi Bill;
Check out tesla motors:
www.teslamotors.com/

0-60mph in 3.9 seconds. The torque from the electric engine is much higher. Trucks can run on an electric engine imho, if not then lets us biodiesel or synthetic bio from CTL, etc...

If anyone can show us why non-oil based engines can't work for big rigs - please post some info or links....I know diesel fuel can come from non-oil feed stocks....