Gassed enough to piss me off.
Well, they done went and did it. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&e=2&u=/nm/20050316/pl_nm/energy_congress_dc The Senate pumped the budget through to drill in the Arctic. Fuckers. Not guarunteed to happen, cause the House can make it not so, but I doubt they will. We'll see. I gotta find Domeneci's email address. Someone should tell him that producing another 2% of our oil used daily is NOT going to make us independant of foreign oil. If you, as a Senator, Republican or other, see a looming oil crisis, why not push steps through to wean the nation of off oil as a fuel product entirely? Instead of fighting to drill in the ANRW, why not fight to fund hydrogen car production?
And I can't completely buy the "politicians are in big oil's pocket" reasoning that so many Dems and eco-freaks stand on. Unless I'm just that much more intelligent than most corporate officials and politicians. I have a solution, and I can't believe no one on the Hill hasn't thought of it. Hell, with this administration's irresponsible fiscal spending, now's the time to punch this shit through. Here's my plan. Feel free to comment and add to it as you like:
The primary thing holding back hydrogen as a viable energy source is infrastructure. It'll cost assloads of monkeys to refit gas stations with hydrogen filling pumps, not to mention transportation, training for attendants, et cetera. Big oil doesn't want to pay that while they're cutting their oil producing throats.
However, it's a win-win for em if the guv funds it. Seriously, give a grant AND a tax break to any company of filling stations that provides gas and hydrogen for five years. During that time, since the guv is funding it, there's a cap on what they can charge for the hydrogen. However, H still costs what it will cost when that cap is removed, but the guv takes the difference. For instance (and I realize this example is inaccurate, cause I'll be using gallons, which prolly won't be the measuring standard for hydrogen energy), for five years H costs 1.50/gallon. Filling stations make 75 cents, Uncle Sam makes 75 cents. After five years, H still costs 1.50 a gallon, but now the stations make 1.25 of that, and the guv gets 0.25. Keep the cost down, the guv recoops some of the initial cost of switching over, and the cap is set high enough that big oil, still finds the switch from gasoline to hydrogen economically viable.
Considering how much BP spends in third world countries setting up solar and wind powered energy stations for villages that can't get electricity from other sources, providing them with refrigeration, lights, etc, I can't believe that these companies are saying 'no' to a long term energy solution. At least, it's not just them, cause let's face it...if the American people stopped buying gasoline, they'd do something quick. Realistically, we won't, but energy companies don't have us by the perverbial balls they think they do. If consumers said "hey", they'd listen. Hell, I almost think it's our own fault, cause being an American is no longer working hard and eventually owning your own home. It's went beyond that. Now, it's doing what you want, when you want, failing to consider the consequences of your actions, then blaming those consequences on someone else. But that's a soapbox that'll completely invalidate my rant in the minds of many.
My point remains, there's a solution, but those in charge are either overlooking it, not considering it, or too dumb to even realize it's an option that's possible only within the bounds of our present state. Hell, a major administrative push to yank the country off of gasoline would go miles upon miles to prove to European skeptics that Iraq wasn't about oil. It'd be a line of bullshit (scuse the pun for those of us with oilfield experience), but it'd be a great PR move.
And while I'm on a roll, http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2005/03/16/AM200503161.html. Listen to that little explanation about the trade deficit. Makes me happy to be in the middle class. And let me ask you this? What have the Repubs done recently to warrant our votes on moral merits? Gay marriage ban hasn't made it to the floor to even see if we want to vote for it. Abortion? I see the Dems pushing more to stop that than any red elephant. Just goes to show you....vote for government representatives based on their ability to lead and to govern. Let your minister/preacher/priest/warlock/whatever be the one to save your sole. Save yours first, then work on others.
That's my state of the union address. Should be good for another few weeks.
And one little tiny thing. NEVER tell me how you totally agree that people are buying SUVs for the wrong reasons, BUT then say you're gonna get one because you WANT TO have two kids. Troy. Get it after you've got the two kids. Idiot.
And I can't completely buy the "politicians are in big oil's pocket" reasoning that so many Dems and eco-freaks stand on. Unless I'm just that much more intelligent than most corporate officials and politicians. I have a solution, and I can't believe no one on the Hill hasn't thought of it. Hell, with this administration's irresponsible fiscal spending, now's the time to punch this shit through. Here's my plan. Feel free to comment and add to it as you like:
The primary thing holding back hydrogen as a viable energy source is infrastructure. It'll cost assloads of monkeys to refit gas stations with hydrogen filling pumps, not to mention transportation, training for attendants, et cetera. Big oil doesn't want to pay that while they're cutting their oil producing throats.
However, it's a win-win for em if the guv funds it. Seriously, give a grant AND a tax break to any company of filling stations that provides gas and hydrogen for five years. During that time, since the guv is funding it, there's a cap on what they can charge for the hydrogen. However, H still costs what it will cost when that cap is removed, but the guv takes the difference. For instance (and I realize this example is inaccurate, cause I'll be using gallons, which prolly won't be the measuring standard for hydrogen energy), for five years H costs 1.50/gallon. Filling stations make 75 cents, Uncle Sam makes 75 cents. After five years, H still costs 1.50 a gallon, but now the stations make 1.25 of that, and the guv gets 0.25. Keep the cost down, the guv recoops some of the initial cost of switching over, and the cap is set high enough that big oil, still finds the switch from gasoline to hydrogen economically viable.
Considering how much BP spends in third world countries setting up solar and wind powered energy stations for villages that can't get electricity from other sources, providing them with refrigeration, lights, etc, I can't believe that these companies are saying 'no' to a long term energy solution. At least, it's not just them, cause let's face it...if the American people stopped buying gasoline, they'd do something quick. Realistically, we won't, but energy companies don't have us by the perverbial balls they think they do. If consumers said "hey", they'd listen. Hell, I almost think it's our own fault, cause being an American is no longer working hard and eventually owning your own home. It's went beyond that. Now, it's doing what you want, when you want, failing to consider the consequences of your actions, then blaming those consequences on someone else. But that's a soapbox that'll completely invalidate my rant in the minds of many.
My point remains, there's a solution, but those in charge are either overlooking it, not considering it, or too dumb to even realize it's an option that's possible only within the bounds of our present state. Hell, a major administrative push to yank the country off of gasoline would go miles upon miles to prove to European skeptics that Iraq wasn't about oil. It'd be a line of bullshit (scuse the pun for those of us with oilfield experience), but it'd be a great PR move.
And while I'm on a roll, http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2005/03/16/AM200503161.html. Listen to that little explanation about the trade deficit. Makes me happy to be in the middle class. And let me ask you this? What have the Repubs done recently to warrant our votes on moral merits? Gay marriage ban hasn't made it to the floor to even see if we want to vote for it. Abortion? I see the Dems pushing more to stop that than any red elephant. Just goes to show you....vote for government representatives based on their ability to lead and to govern. Let your minister/preacher/priest/warlock/whatever be the one to save your sole. Save yours first, then work on others.
That's my state of the union address. Should be good for another few weeks.
And one little tiny thing. NEVER tell me how you totally agree that people are buying SUVs for the wrong reasons, BUT then say you're gonna get one because you WANT TO have two kids. Troy. Get it after you've got the two kids. Idiot.
posted by Amazing Shafeman at 1:20 PM
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