conservation

rycos — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:06:24 -0700

if the hypothetical free market can bid up baby beanies, art, and the salaries of superstar actors and professional athletes....there is no reason it can't bid up something useful like oil.

In the long arc of things we're going to have to get used to running on about half the energy america currently uses per year. Maybe half or 2/3 of that remaining half can be supplied by oil. the rest of that half will have to be solar, wind, nuclear, hydroelectric, biofuels, and draft animals..

sewage and algaculture are probably the best bets for large scale production of biofuels over the long run.

OH-16: Schuring Spreading GOP Lies on Energy

Nick D — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:56:45 -0700

Mark down State Sen. Kirk Schuring as amongst the clueless GOPers on energy.

By the way, this is the same guy who allowed predatory lenders to destroy Cleveland. How can we believe what he says on energy? Especially since its wrong.

From PolitickerOH.com:

"People throughout this district are feeling the price crunch every time they fill their car up with gas," Schuring said. "We need to bring these prices down, and do it now."

Schuring said such a thing is possible.

"First, we must increase the supply of oil for people to start paying less at the pump," he said. "In order to accomplish this, we need to drill in ANWR and push to open up offshore drilling right now."

Drilling in ANWR and the Outer Continental Shelf will not produce new oil supplies for 5-10 years. Until then, such drilling will have NO EFFECT on oil prices because they will not influence the supply and demand fundamentals.

To review, in 2007 worldwide oil demand exceed oil supply. The act of opening these areas to drilling will have NO EFFECT on that fact. Those who argue that there might be a psychological impact that would lower oil prices ignore the fact that we can't fill our cars with psychological gasoline.

Schuring said the second thing that must be done is to start building more nuclear power plants and oil refineries.

"My opponent, like many in Washington, is against drilling for oil, but that's wrong and a true indication of how badly Washington is broken," Schuring said. "Once these common sense, short-term solutions are made, consumers will finally start seeing cheaper gas prices, but we must start now."

Leaving nuclear power aside, why build more oil refineries if there's a shortage of oil? Does Kirk Schuring know how to use "the Google"? If so, why doesn't he go look at the BUSH ADMINISTRATION's OWN FIGURES that show that worldwide oil demand exceeded supply in 2007?

Schuring said that in the long-term, America needs to focus on the development of alternative energy sources, such as hyrdo, wind, solar and nuclear power, "but especially clean coal."

Hydro? Not so much. Why build more dams when we have enough wind and solar power to run the country many times over? Nuc? Sure if its new technology like thorium powered nuclear reactors.

Clean coal? Clean and coal are two words that don't belong in the same sentence. Clean coal is a myth. Anyone who has seen a mountaintop removal mine knows that.

"In addition, we must scrutinize those who game the oil futures market and keep them from manipulating it to increase the price of oil," he said.

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.

To repeat: the cheapest and easiest way to reduce the impact of gas prices on our economy is CONSERVATION. The amount of oil we will get by drilling in ANWR is the exact same amount of oil we will get by increasing our national fuel economy by 3 mpg. Which is easier?

To say that drilling is the solution to our energy crisis is like saying that the best way to lose weight is to eat more Big Macs. It simply doesn't make sense.

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OH-16: Schuring Spreading GOP Lies on Energy