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Judge, I partly agree with you, but I want to take it further.
Transportation only accounts for 20% of the oil we use. So looking at solutions that focus on our transportation part of the oil use equation isn't going to have very much impact. Also using a one pronged attack won't help either. It will just cause problems elsewhere. For example ethanol causes worlwide food shoratges. Electric cars require electricity, which comes from an oil or gas fired plant. Hydrogen fuel cells have a real low yield, and the put H2O vapor in the atmosphere. H2O vapor is the most potent global warming gas. Ever notice the difference on a clear night versus a cloudy night as to the drop in temperature.
We really need an energy policy. We need more hydro-electric dams. We need more Solar/Thermal plants in the west. In the mid west we need more windmills. In the east we need more nuclear. By diversifying our power sources we eliminate the ability of our suppliers to hold us hostage.
We need to use this extra electricity to power plug in hybrids. They have a range of 90 or so miles on a charge of electricity. Then a gas or diesel motor generator kicks in and charges the batteries to keep you going. You can use the car for short trips and daily commuting without using any fuel and the weekend trip to the mountains or a cross country vacation is still possible with the generator.
We need to work on opening our coasts and ANWAR up to get our easy to retrieve oil. This will allow an increase in the world markets oil supply that will result in a short term drop in oil prices till we ramp up our energy policy and cut our needs.
We also need to look back to the future. Pittsburghs steel mills were built on the river for a reason, shipping. We need to look at alternative means of shipping goods. Rail and water come to mind real quick. I've been helping my old boss set his store up as a hub for lumber distribution to nearby stores. He brings lumber in by rail and ships it to the 5 area stores by truck. He has been able to reduce inventory and cut product cost by doing that. In the long run these are more efficient means of transportation and that's why they are cheaper. That means we use less oil.
If we focus on one thing as the answer, we will be doomed to go back to the oil when the price of it falls. E-85 isn't the answer. It's stop gap.
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