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A Five Year Plan to Energy Independence

By Asa J. Beck, Colorado, USA

Today we find ourselves held to ransom by the combination of foreign oil suppliers and the speculators who have pushed the cost of oil to punishing levels.  As of 6 June 2008 crude oil was US$138 per barrel, gasoline sells at US$4 per gallon in the USA, diesel fuel sells at over US$4.70 per gallon in the USA, and high fuel prices are causing the airlines to incur huge financial losses. (Note for international readers: a US gallon equals 3.785 litres)

I believe that it does not have to be this way.  We can take on the challenge of energy independence and win.  We can make a rapid difference in our energy consumption and ultimately control our livelihood once more.  Our solution to this problem is to form a transportation infrastructure that conserves energy, and then convert that infrastructure to primarily utilize alternative fuels and electricity.  So what do we do?

We need to consider it our civic and patriotic duty to reduce the use of oil.  We know what steps it will take to reduce our consumption, but we must implement them.  They include:

1)     Drive only when required and drive conservatively.

2)     Utilize alternative transportation, public transportation, and carpool.

3)     Choose to use a car with lower fuel consumption when available.

4)     Purchase a new vehicle that gets greater than 20 MPG city minimum 30 MPG or more if you can.

5)     Reduce overall oil and gas/diesel usage by at least 10%

These are measures that each of us can personally implement today that will have a powerful effect on our energy consumption tomorrow and for many years to follow. We must not forget the role of government and industry in this process.  They include:

1)     Utilize the petroleum reserves to drive speculators out of the market.  With at least a months’ notice begin selling oil from the reserves in high enough volumes to drive down prices with a target of US$100 per barrel.

2)     Implement a national 4 day work week, requiring overtime for the 5^th workday unless the 5^th day is worked from home, without need to commute to the office.  This would apply to all employees of every organization.

3)     Eliminate all tax credits and subsidies for oil exploration and development; at $100+ per barrel the oil companies do not need them.

4)     Use the money saved to increase energy research and fund development of alternative transportation and energy choices. Funding should increase at least four times current levels.

5)     Open public lands to oil development that are currently restricted, leaving only the most environmentally at risk locations protected.  Pollution protections would be unchanged.

6)     Enact a national law requiring a minimum of 30% of electrical energy come from renewable sources, including nuclear, by the end of 2014.

7)     Guarantee funding, with stipulations to limit national risk, for the building of renewable energy facilities that could include wind farms, nuclear power plants, hydrogen gas storage and distribution facilities, alternative fuel production facilities, hydroelectric generation, and any other type that has been proven practical.

8)     Provide substantial tax credits (US$5,000) for vehicles that have ultra high mileage ratings, over 50 MPG or that run exclusively on electricity or hydrogen.

9)     Grant additional credits for decommissioning of low mileage vehicles.

10) Streamline the regulations and approval processes for all types of electrical generation, domestic oil, and alternative fuel facilities over the next five years mandating a maximum 6 month approval process.

11) Provide tax credits to producers of alternative fuel and electrical generation facilities as market prices require, keeping them competitive with traditional energy producers.

12) Work with manufacturers of aircraft and aircraft engines to make them as fuel efficient as possible, setting minimum efficiency standards similar to the ones on automobiles.

13) Subsidize the cost to retrofit aircraft made in the past twenty years with the most efficient new engines.

14) Set targets below current levels for the cost of petroleum products and utilize a combination of purchases into the petroleum reserve and gas/diesel taxes to ensure certain minimum prices are maintained.

15) Raise the Gas Guzzler Tax in both amount and minimum mileage permitted. The target should be a minimum of 20 MPG City which can be achieved even for trucks with the use of hybrids and alternative fuels.  The maximum tax amount should be US$12,000

Other than the exporters of oil and the oil companies, the current process and system is hurting everyone.  The plan outlined above will be expensive, but it will jump start the economy through industrialization and innovation.  Politically, people are looking to 2009 for significant change, which is simply unacceptable.  We cannot wait to implement this and should tell our legislators to get it done now.  Many will need to compromise on issues they personally care about to execute this plan, but the final result is worth the compromise.  We need to monitor the progress of this plan and adapt as necessary.  Energy independent in five years is achievable and we owe it to ourselves to make it happen.  Let’s take charge of our lives and break the bonds that keep us hostage to those who wish to take advantage of us and our country.  Please take action today.  Send this plan to your legislators, both national and otherwise, along with your friends and family.  Get the word out.

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article are entirely those of the author. This article is published as a stimulus to public discussion and debate and does not necessarily reflect the views of members of Rotary E-Club One.