Oil (Saudi) Dependency Bad on Economy; Local Renewable Energies Good

We need to find and exploit other, local, and renewable sources of energy. And fast. If only for our transportation.

Think about it. With prices for a barrel reaching over $60, and the cost to fill a tank reaching $2.75, this will only cause many of the products we consume daily much more expensive. And not just buying gas for our personal vehicles. All of the products we buy in stores have to get there, and many get there by semi-trucks or other freight transport that uses diesel. With the rise in diesel costs, the cost to transport these products will likely rise, and ultimately it will be us, the consumer, who will have to pay for the rising costs to transport these products.

Finding fast, efficient, reliable, safe and economic ways to get current national resources of renewable energies to the people must be one of the primary issues for our nation and our legislators. (The other being affordable health care coverage.)

Highly fuel efficient cars must be encouraged, along with raising standards for higher efficiency in hybrid vehicles. 45 mpg in hybrid vehicles is not efficient when the old Geo Metros using only gas got much higher mpgs. If the public wants to continue driving SUVs, make sure they are much more fuel efficient, like raising the mpg for SUVs to 25 or 35 mpg (that will get auto manufacturers thinking creatively). Getting 85 ethanol at all gas stations and making sure all new vehicles are ready to take 85 ethanol when they roll off the dealer's lot (not having to adjust the car to accept 85).

Deciding on what will be the renewable fuel for the future of transportation, and then giving incentives to build fueling stations for the future--now. If it is going to be hydrogen fuel, then encourage auto makers to put hydrogen cars in their annual lineup, and get gas stations to convert pumps to hydrogen. Educate the public about this renewable fuel, how to handle it, and how to use it to the greatest advantage.

Educate the public how to use renewable energies in their daily lives, how to benefit from current incentives to convert their homes and businesses to renewable energy sources, like the new solar technologies (there's actually solar panels that look like shingles), biofuels, and wind energies. Encourage local municipalities and utilities to generate their own safe, renewable energy locally with solar, wind and biofuels. (This would have an added benefit of not relying so much on a national grid for energy, allowing the locality to continue their utilities in the event of a national crisis, thus an added benefit for homeland security.)

Renewable energies would help us to help ourselves and disconnect our dependency on depleting fossil fuels and those that exploit oil.