As stated in my previous post, we would need to cut oil consumption to about one quarter what it is today. So, what are the solutions?
What we need is a comprehensive approach to the problem, and recognize that there is no single solution that will solve the problem for us. I don't care who is an advocate for Hydrogen cars, biofuels, electric, etc. All those are solutions that will have only a limited impact over the total consumption of oil in this country. They involve tradeoffs, such as having less arable land in the nation, due to using some for making fuel, or they have low energy density, and therefore limited range, or are expensive to mass produce, or involves toxic, difficult to recycle materials, etc.
The most obvious way to create oil independence in this country is to actually free us from the need for automobiles for most of our transportation needs. This will involve something akin to a whole new reindustrialization of the nation. In some cases it will require slight modifications of existing systems, in many other cases, it will require a total revamp of the design and layout of cities and towns.
One of the first things we could do is restore and expand our current railroad system, and limit diesel locomotives for freight, and have separate, expanded, electric high speed rail for long distance passenger travel. This would cut down on "gas guzzling" air travel, which has its own problems, like long waits, low turnover, and if you don't live near a major hub, quite a few switchovers. We need to divide the nation up into railroad regions, with some crossover for cross country travel, and quite a few regional, high speed, rail systems, that could cut down on travel times by an order of magnitude compared to car travel.
In addition to this, our cities and towns will need to be remade with an emphasis on pedestrian traffic and public transportation. Cities with existing light rail systems could greatly expand these systems, and use them to service as many areas as possible. Bus systems could be expanded, and the buses themselves converted to some renewable source of energy, whatever is economical for the particular city or town they service.
These types of reforms wouldn't eliminate automobiles entirely, however they would greatly limit the need to even have an automobile just to get to work or to the local grocery store. What could next be done is to expand tax credits for those who buy hybrids and, eventually, renewable or electric vehicles. This can include public financing for lower income working families, and also do the same for more energy efficient homes.
When I refer to reforming the cities and towns of this country, basically I'm talking about the death of suburbia. Unfortunately, suburbia is car centric, and has been marketed as such for years. The problem is that its simply unsustainable, if we wish to attain energy independence in any lasting form, we will need to rid ourselves of suburbs and exurbs.
There are many ways in which to accomplish this, and one of the ways to do this is through, oddly enough, marketing. What we need is a "new urbanization" where we revitalize existing neighborhoods, and build new neighborhoods. Include public financing for new and existing neighborhoods, tax credits, etc. to encourage middle class and working families to move into these neighborhoods. Just because we may have to sacrifice a little convenience just to make ourselves energy independent doesn't mean we have to make it entirely unpleasant.
This would create a building boom that would be unprecedented since the 1950s, and we can also plan ahead for future challenges as well. This building boom will help many cities rebuild their economies, open up new businesses and new investments, and put a lot of people to work. The cost can be great, but also manageable, and we shouldn't think of it as a burden, but rather an investment in the future, and we should tie in renewable ways to produce electricity, making "greener" neighborhoods and cities, and also help spread and eliminate some of the costs associated with pollution now.
Diversification of our energy sources is key to this, I believe, some areas of the country would be able to utilize the power of the Earth, through geothermic plants, others can utilize wind power, solar power, hydroelectric, whatever is practical for an area. I think this will go a long way towards complete independence from oil, even domestic oil.
What we need is a comprehensive approach to the problem, and recognize that there is no single solution that will solve the problem for us. I don't care who is an advocate for Hydrogen cars, biofuels, electric, etc. All those are solutions that will have only a limited impact over the total consumption of oil in this country. They involve tradeoffs, such as having less arable land in the nation, due to using some for making fuel, or they have low energy density, and therefore limited range, or are expensive to mass produce, or involves toxic, difficult to recycle materials, etc.
The most obvious way to create oil independence in this country is to actually free us from the need for automobiles for most of our transportation needs. This will involve something akin to a whole new reindustrialization of the nation. In some cases it will require slight modifications of existing systems, in many other cases, it will require a total revamp of the design and layout of cities and towns.
One of the first things we could do is restore and expand our current railroad system, and limit diesel locomotives for freight, and have separate, expanded, electric high speed rail for long distance passenger travel. This would cut down on "gas guzzling" air travel, which has its own problems, like long waits, low turnover, and if you don't live near a major hub, quite a few switchovers. We need to divide the nation up into railroad regions, with some crossover for cross country travel, and quite a few regional, high speed, rail systems, that could cut down on travel times by an order of magnitude compared to car travel.
In addition to this, our cities and towns will need to be remade with an emphasis on pedestrian traffic and public transportation. Cities with existing light rail systems could greatly expand these systems, and use them to service as many areas as possible. Bus systems could be expanded, and the buses themselves converted to some renewable source of energy, whatever is economical for the particular city or town they service.
These types of reforms wouldn't eliminate automobiles entirely, however they would greatly limit the need to even have an automobile just to get to work or to the local grocery store. What could next be done is to expand tax credits for those who buy hybrids and, eventually, renewable or electric vehicles. This can include public financing for lower income working families, and also do the same for more energy efficient homes.
When I refer to reforming the cities and towns of this country, basically I'm talking about the death of suburbia. Unfortunately, suburbia is car centric, and has been marketed as such for years. The problem is that its simply unsustainable, if we wish to attain energy independence in any lasting form, we will need to rid ourselves of suburbs and exurbs.
There are many ways in which to accomplish this, and one of the ways to do this is through, oddly enough, marketing. What we need is a "new urbanization" where we revitalize existing neighborhoods, and build new neighborhoods. Include public financing for new and existing neighborhoods, tax credits, etc. to encourage middle class and working families to move into these neighborhoods. Just because we may have to sacrifice a little convenience just to make ourselves energy independent doesn't mean we have to make it entirely unpleasant.
This would create a building boom that would be unprecedented since the 1950s, and we can also plan ahead for future challenges as well. This building boom will help many cities rebuild their economies, open up new businesses and new investments, and put a lot of people to work. The cost can be great, but also manageable, and we shouldn't think of it as a burden, but rather an investment in the future, and we should tie in renewable ways to produce electricity, making "greener" neighborhoods and cities, and also help spread and eliminate some of the costs associated with pollution now.
Diversification of our energy sources is key to this, I believe, some areas of the country would be able to utilize the power of the Earth, through geothermic plants, others can utilize wind power, solar power, hydroelectric, whatever is practical for an area. I think this will go a long way towards complete independence from oil, even domestic oil.
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