Energy Concerns

With gas prices, and other prices, rising, we are all getting concerned. In spite of the Senate's dog-and-pony show grilling oil execs, the oil companies are not the problem. In fact, they would be the major solution, if we would let them. The problem is our government, which is supposed to be working for us, but often is not. The government has so seriously restricted the USA from developing its own energy resources that we find ourselves hog-tied. It is time, as they say, to stop the madness.

I realize that environmental concerns are real. However, no company is going to risk the problems that would come to them if they carelessly polluted the environment while developing natural resources. In addition, with today's technology and know-how, we can develop our resources in a much cleaner way than in the past. We need to be good stewards of the earth and its resources, but that does not mean, "Don't touch anything!"

A number of countries are drilling off shore in various places around the world--Russia and Cuba (with China), some of the European countries, and so forth. I am not saying we should "follow the crowd" just to be following the crowd. I am saying that other countries are busily developing resources, and since we need to as well, why aren't we?

The resources I am talking about are oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy. All of these need to be developed, starting now. In addition, we can continue working on alternative resources, such as wind, solar, liquid coal methods, and biofuels. Regarding that last, I believe the powers that be jumped the gun on ethanol. It needs work to be more efficient and less polluting. There is also much research needed in all areas, and we need to increase our refining capacity. This all takes time and huge amounts of money. Oil companies need the profits they are getting in order to do research and development. They actually get very little of the $4.00 from each gallon of gas--the government takes a far larger share.

I have a number of links to share with you about this issue. Please feel free to mention others in the comments. There are many more informative links around the internet with facts and figures on energy and the environment.


Federal Government sites:


US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (see especially the Minority Page)


US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources


The House Committee on Energy and Commerce


The House Committee on Natural Resources


The House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming


These provide a starting point for learning about what the government is doing and not doing. You can email the committees as well as individual legislators to tell them what you feel is needed or not needed. Don't forget to find out what your state legislature is doing and give them feedback, as well. In addition to the energy issue, you can look at the committee pages for other issues of concern and email about those, also.


A petition:


American Solutions Petition (this is to be presented to the federal government and is about energy. Details on the site.)


Some informative articles:


"Drill Here, Drill Now" by Jed Babbin (This is the article that told me about the above petition and it discusses the petition.)


"Congress, Gasoline and Hearings--Look! There's a Diversion" by George Landrith


"Top 10 Energy Questions for the US Senate" by Human Events


"Carbon Chastity: The First Commandment of the Church of the Environment" by Charles Krauthammer


"Environmentalists' Wild Predictions" by Walter Williams


"Congressional Problem Creation" by Walter Williams


"Too 'Complex'?", "Too 'Complex'? Part II", and "Too 'Complex'? Part III" by Thomas Sowell (This is about economics and supply and demand, but mentions energy as one issue involved.)


"When 'Market-Based' is a Façade" by George Will


"How Al Gore is Getting Fat off of a Starving World" by Jerry Bowyer (about food prices as affected by ethanol)


"Oil Crisis Solved by Resources, Not Gimmicks" by Kathryn Jean Lopez


"Coal-Cap Disaster" by Lawrence Kudlow


"Windfall-Profit Nonsense" by John Stossel


"Gas Prices and the Blame Game" by Ed Feulner

"The 'Big Oil' Witch Hunt" by Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson


The Heritage Foundation's Energy and Environment page (Here you will find dozens of well-researched articles about various aspects of energy and environment issues.)


This seems like a long list of links, but the energy situation needs to be resolved now because it will take time to get the various energy production projects going, and to build nuclear plants and expand refineries. If Bill Clinton hadn't vetoed a bill that would have allowed all this in 1995, we would now be enjoying the benefits of producing much of our own energy and who knows how much farther along we would be in the research and development of alternative energy resources? I ask you to read these articles and look into what our government is doing. Then contact your government representatives and let them know that the time for foolishness is over and it is time America produced its own energy freely.