Here is a blog I wrote in 2009. It speaks for itself and I find we all need to be reminded often of this.
Our Energy Solution Has Arrived
November 4th, 2009 America is about to dig itself out of a deep energy mess. Our energy woes go back 30 years. Back to the fall of the Shah of Iran. We have struggled hard to find solutions.
The politicians in Washington have done everything they can possibly do to keep us from finding solutions. The stopped nuclear power. They stopped drilling in areas rich with oil and gas. We have dumped billions and billions in the Department of Energy and gotten nothing but bills for the salaries of hundreds of thousands of government workers doing nothing productive. We have suffered through dozens of Senate hearings with the oil company executives watching blow- hard politicians trying to place blame for price run ups, shortages, and economic problems on the oil companies.
What is the source of our energy solution? Is it T. Boone Pickens? No. Is it Dr. Chu, the head of the DOE? No. Is it a big new offshore find? No, there have been some of those lately, but no. Did Bill Gates invent something in his garage? No. Al Gore? No. The auto industry with a new engine? No. Billions and billions spent by our government, significant conservation efforts by the public, undue damage to the auto industry, and no solutions.
The solution is coming from the most hated industry in America, the oil industry. Maybe second-most today, since government is the most detested today.
Despite all the limitations put on the industry by the environmentalists and the government, the significant other of the environmentalists, the nasty old price-gouging oil industry has managed to solve our problems. They are finding abundant amounts of unconventional natural gas in areas not protected from drilling. New drilling technologies have increased proven reserves from 177Tcf in 2000 to 245 Tcf in 2008. New technologies like horizontal drilling and fraccing shale. This is why your gas bills will be low this winter. Unless you live in the Northeast where they have resisted pipe lines. There, widows and orphans will need help this winter from one of the Kennedy kids since there will be no price breaks on heating oil. You choose not to have pipelines to deliver natural gas, but you demand cheap oil. Does that sound familiar?
So we now have an abundance of natural gas here. Maybe several decades of supply. Let’s put it to use.
No, our Feds are doling out billions of subsidies for electric cars. The new natural gas will power the electricity to charge the electric cars, but they could be running on compressed natural gas. Or, at least fleets. That would encourage more drilling for more natural gas. Instead, we will subsidize wind and solar with more billions of our tax dollars.
Two things you can count on. One, our government will always pick the wrong option. Two, someone other than the government will always solve out problems despite the government.
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