hoover

Environmentalism May Face Major Setback in 2009

While I am not so concerned with the environment, I am concerned about the super dependence on oil. Oil producer monopolists and cartels of the world need some real competition for a change. Alternate energy (solar, hydrogen, ethanol, bio-diesel, battery, wind, nuclear, etc.) can offer major competition if the public a doesn't fall for the same energy industry trick again. For example, if the price of oil falls to $30 or $20 a barrel, the public and its government are supposed be dumb enough to end all alternate fuels effort as they have done before when oil drops in price. GM reliably would dump the Volt electric car and develop a super 10 ton Hummer getting three miles per gallon. But, if oil is $20 a barrel, it COULD be $4 a barrel and 10 cents a gallon gasoline if oil had any serious competition. At $4 a barrel, the Middle East would wield no power. Hugo Chavez in Venezuela would have no more clout in South America. Energy costs could drop like a rock. The USA could lead the world technologically in the next decade rather than remaining sterile. My point is that regardless of global warming (problem or not) there are many other urgent reasons to pursue oil independence.