Blogspot: Energy
NEED POSITION STATEMENT ON ENERGY
I was looking for a statement by Scott on Energy policy. I know he has spoken well about that publicly, but it would be great if you could put some of your ideas on the website.
Doug Beezley, Gering
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SUPPLY VS ENERGY DEMAND
I have to say Scott has got a good plan to get us less dependent on foreign oil by promoting the use of alternative fuels like E85. The only thing about this form of energy is that even if we took all the corn in this country and harnessed it for fuel for automobiles it still would not be able to scratch the demand.
We as Americans take energy for granted and use it far more than we really need to. Look at the gas guzzling cars we drive...you dont see Europeans & Asians driving Expeditions, Tahoes, and Escalades around too often, do you? This is because they pay far more for gas than we do.
Efficiency & conservation should be the platform. Rule of economics says if supply exceeds demand the price goes down, right? The key to alleviating dependency is to make it so that we use energy efficiently and maximize its use without using so much of it. I work for the most profitable oil company in United States, yet I did not vote for a single Republican to manage this state I live in (being Texas) or this country.
Yes, this administration & the Republican party has alot of ties to Big Oil. Its no secret big oil puts alot of money into Republican coffers. If I were in Nebraska I'd vote for Scott because he has a good plan for the nation. He is also someone I have known since our days in Vicenza, Italy. His father was my history teacher in high school there. It is just amazing to see how far Scott has gone. You have my support Scott.
XC
DROUGHT/WIND
Corn takes a lot of water to raise compared to other crops. Perhaps the research dollars should be focusing on turning other crops into oil since rain is scarce and there are legal issues with water rights to all sorts of river basins and aquifiers in Nebraska. Before Scott's grandparent's received electricity from the REA, they probably used a windmill like mine did. The power was stored in huge DELCO batteries and thus power was available when the wind was not blowing. What was old might become new again. We still have wind. :O) History often repeats itself.
We have not invested enough in non-fossil fuel energy sources. Research into fuel-cells that would make it possible for us to make and run our cars/SUVs/pick-ups off of hydrogen. They currently exist. Mass production would cut our dependency on foreign oil. We have the technology, as another has already said, to utilize our plant life to make ethanol, our waste into natural gas and or oil, and our wind/sun into energy.
There are other sources of energy that we have starved of funds. Research into fusion, zero-point energy, matter/anti-matter, etc. is virtually forgotten when it comes to focusing efforts to meet our energy needs. These technologies might be a ways away, but they’ll be just as far away in twenty years if scientists can’t do their research appropriately. In the 1960’s, President Kennedy’s challenge for space exploration and focus on bolstering the number of individuals created a push to see children go into math and science.
We will respond to what is critical. We need the leadership to have the vision and the guts to take us into another direction and to focus on making our society run on “green” technologies. We have the ability to make not only a change in the cost of energy but wipe out the negative effects of energy altogether. Funds, vision, making it important (i.e. passing laws to force companies into compliance) will bring about change. The public is hungry for this to happen. It’s time to take that leap now while the iron is hot.
COMPLETE ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
Renewable energy sources are amazingly abundant within the borders of of the United States. America's farmer's annually produce 11 billion bushels of corn and 3 billion bushels of soybeans. Baby steps have been taken to convert some of these resources into ethanol and biodiesel, but sugar cane, sugar beets, sorghum, rice, wheat, barley, oats and even switchgrass have the potential to be utilized for renewable fuels production.
Currently, at under $2 a bushel, corn, which can prouce 3 gallons of ethanol per bushel, can offer production costs as low as $1.25 per gallon. Even more amazing is sciences ability to harness the energy of "waste". When harnessed and fermented, cattle manure can be used to produce methane. Swine manure, placed under heat and pressure, can produce OIL. Yes, thats right, OIL! Even household waste can be utilized as a renewable energy resource. Combine these renewable energy resources with solar power, hydro-power, wind power, nuclear power and domestic sources of fosil fuels, and you may begin to wonder why America continues to have such a dependence on forgein oil, especially when our current suppliers have proven time and time again that they are NOT our friends.
A reluctance to invest in a more modern energy infrastructure has caused some of our dependence on forgein oil. However, the simple truth is that the incumbent's desire for political survival is the biggest reason we have been stuck in an energy rut. "Big Oil" is a major campaign contributor and Big Oil has a vested financial interest in maintaining the status quo. Just look at their balance sheets. An impending energy crisis has been on the horizon for more than 30 years and yet government and industry have taken no measures to address the long range energy needs of this nation. The big oil companies refuse to invest in new infastructures to harness domestic oil supplies or renewable fuels, automobile manufactures refuse to market renewable fuel friendly vehicles, and congress refuses to invest in finding a solution to our energy needs.
This energy crisis has obviously boiled to a head in the last few months. With $3 a gallon gasoline and a continuing war on terrorism no one can any longer justify America's reluctance to take bold new inititives on Energy. Failure to act NOW could have drastic financial, social and ecological impacts for a very long time to come. The Answer:
First, we need to just say NO to forgein oil. Eliminate any and all incentives for oil companies to do business overseas. Ensure (through tarriffs and taxation) that oil refiners find a very distinct advantage in utilizing domestic fosil fuels. Not only is this the fist step in energy independence but it would provide for a major catalyst on the war on terror.
Second, we need to utilize untapped domestic fossil fuel resources. This means drilling in Alaska if necessary. I appologize in advance to any carribou or migratory birds that might be inconvienienced by this process. We need to respect nature while understanding that we are the master of our enviourment and not the other way around.
Third, at our discretion and on our timeframe, we should set the price for forgein oil. It is time that we tell OPEC what the price of fuel will be instead of bowing to their demands. Any forgein supplier that doesn't like our offer is welcome to peddle their product to Russia and China. However, this won't last for long. The United States is a true World Leader. As we invest in alternative and renewable energy sources, I guarantee, other countries will follow our lead.
Fourth, it is way past the time to invest in a modern energy infrastructure. We need to immeadiately create incentives for the construction of ethanol plants (not just limited to corn based ethanol), wind stations, solar power plants, nuclear power plants, and manure processing facilities. Incentives need to be given to promote the production of flex-fuel or hybrid vehicles and to reward those consumers who embrace America's energy future.
Fifth, promote conservation and creative resource utilization. This initive should include, but go way beyond, carpooling or turning the lights off when you leave the room. Coors Brewing Company utilizes a by-product of their distillation process to create ethanol (giving new meaning to drinking and driving). The most inovative ethanol plants are co-located with feedlots. In these facilities, producers buy corn and live cattle or hogs. The corn is prcessed to make ethanol. A resulting by-product, Distiller's Dried Grain Solubles (DDGS), which has a similar nutritional value as corn itself, is fed to livestock. The livestock produce manure. With swine this manure can be "pressure-cooked" into oil. With cattle, the manure is used to produce methane which is used to create elictricity. This electricity is used to power the facility and can even be sold back to the utility companies. The by-product of the fermented manure is then bagged and sold as a lawn and garden or agricultural fertilizer. The livestock are enventually processed to create steaks, chops, and even leather.
Waste not! Want not! Complete Energy Independence is an investment in America's economy and agriculture. Agriculture has, and most likely always will be, America's most vital industry. America's farmers have turned our heartland into the "bread basket of the world" and have always been able to provide America with "complete agricultural independence". I strongly believe they can serve as a major player in affording us the same liberties with energy.
Jesse M. Alber
THE TWO THINGS WE HAVE PLENTY OF.
The one thing I have always wondered is, based on the NREL (National Renewables Energy Laboratories) wind charts, Nebraska should be a leader in wind energy generation, but is in fact producing less than 100 MW from this source. Wind power generation costs are expected to fall to less than 6 cents a KW/hour over the next few years, which is more than competitive than coal. As an added revenue to farmers, employment for locals, and clean air on top of that, it would seem like a no-brainer, but I have seen nothing from the local utilities or NPPD itself on the prospect of constructing more wind farms. Ethanol also needs more emphasis. Maybe not so much on promotion side of things, but in research. There needs to be more research done on the things to make Ethanol less production intensive. These are 2 places where this state could place a minimal amount of effort and reap far greater rewards.