If We Could Have
Written the Energy Bill... ENN's Readers Weigh In
August 03, 2005 — By ENN
Yesterday we asked you, ENN's loyal
readers, to email us your response to the following question: If you
could have written the energy bill, what would you have included? You
offered up some interesting and creative ideas, including those that
we've published here.
Please keep them coming! Your ideas will be sent to key members of
Congress.
I would include the idea of using LESS OIL, not only foreign oil. I
would repeal the SUV--EPA exemption and consider them all cars and hold
them to CAFE standards.
- K. Rashall
All large appliances sold must be Energy Star rated within two years.
Insulation for new construction must be revamped. Use of insulating
exterior paint, straw, reinforced concrete etc. should be mandatory.
Changes must be implemented within two years. Charge extra for non
fluorescent lighting. Gas mileage MUST be increased to 40 MPG within two
years. Surcharge food coming from outside 100 miles at grocery stores.
Customer must be aware. Solar, wind incentives -- why is cold, windy
Chicago and cloudy San Francisco leading the way not sunny Los Angeles?
Dual flush toilets/waterless urinals must be the choice for
replacements. Government regulations will make people 'do the right
thing.' Here comes the Chinese/Indian population boom-we must show them
how to live sustainably.
- L. Nichols
The Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas now projects that
global -- not US -- oil production will peak in 2007, just two years
from now. Light global oil peaked in 2004. It is projected that North
American gas will peak in a very similar period, though global gas may
have another 30 years. This means that petroleum prices will be in the
drivers seat, as China and India demand more oil in the face of
declining supplies. The last time there was such a supply crunch -- from
1973 to 1990, US carbon dioxide emissions leveled off for about twenty
years. There were some efficiency improvements, but the unemployment
rate also approached 10 percent. Vehicle weight is the key to making
progress. The Swedish fleet of automobiles achieved a 24 mile per gallon
gas efficiency in 1970, at the same time that the US fleet was achieving
13.7 miles per gallon. The Swedes did this by taxing vehicle weight.
Such taxes can be tax neutral: i.e. they can be used to reduce payroll
taxes or other taxes that adversely affect employment or personal
income, or to fund Social Security and Medicare, or to subsidize the
trade-in of energy wasting clunker cars for lighter efficient cars. A
lighter vehicle weight makes hydrogen from coal, with the proper
sequestration, or from any other source economically feasible. Light
motor vehicles are one significant key to progress.
- E. Jansson
I would have included incentives for other power grade alcohols, not
just ethanol. In particular I would have included butanol. See:
www.butanol.com.
- N. Drobny
One thought: It's not foreign oil. We need to reduce our dependence
on all oil.
- S. Lewis
I would have mandated:(1) better miles per gallon vehicle standards,
(2) every vehicle made (if possible) be flex fuel (85% ethanol) and more
ethanol production, (3) higher energy efficiency standards for all
appliances, (4) tax incentives for replacing residential furnaces and
central air conditioners with high efficiency models, (5) tax incentives
for adding solar and wind generating units to individual homes, (6)
mandate that large energy companies build solar electrical units in the
desert southwest and wind turbines in windy areas of the United States.
A large part of the energy problem is the ever-growing population of the
United States. The U.S. needs a population policy to slow down and
eventually stabilize U.S. population. There should be incentives and
disincentives for family size.
- D. Gustafson
I would totally defund fossil fuel subsidies. No more public dole for
nukes, coal, oil or natural gas. The public has given them a free ride
for far too long (of course we'd have to get into tax law as well and
eliminate their vast network of tax loopholes).
I would take the $14.5 billion and provide seed monies toward a
"Marshall Plan" scaled development of solar and wind technologies. We
should encourage small industries in communities across the country to
be producing PV arrays and wind generators. The new energy bill would
make it illegal for public utilities to ban grid-connected independent
power production from renewable resources. It would also further reward
any renewable energy resources for meeting peak demand.
Energy conservation would also be advanced by the bill, enabling Energy
Star to market itself more widely. Its future funding could be attached
to imported oil reductions granting a percent rebate to the program.
Finally, the new energy bill would mandate ratification by the US of the
Kyoto agreement for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- J. Quigley
So what would you include in the energy bill? Please jot down a
few thoughts and send them to ENN's publisher, Jerry Kay, at
ennpublisher@yahoo.com. |