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12/06-06/07
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The Plan
Here is my proposed plan to rid ourselves of the need for foreign oil. We could call it something like the Bimrose Plan if you wanted to. But only if you wanted to.All kidding aside I am sure there are aspects of this "plan" that are unfeasible. It would take someone much smarter than me to propose a workable solution. My knowledge of the details are limited at this point since I have just started researching the possible alternatives. But we must first start with a plan.
Following Brazil's lead within 3 years every gas station will carry a 10% ethanol blend. In five years a 15% blend will be required. In ten years a 25% blend will be required. Every diesel pump in the U.S. will meet the same standards in the same amount of time with a bio-diesel blend.
Within three years every car produced in the U.S. must be a flex-fuel car capable of performing with the higher ethanol blends. Allowing for the decrease in efficiency with ethanol all car classes, compact, mid-size, etc. must meet minimum mpg standards.
Within ten years all auto manufactures operating or selling in the U.S. must have produced a competitively priced hydrogen powered vehicle which is made available to the public.
Starting immediately, any new gas station must have the ability to dispense hydrogen when demand or a mandate makes it necessary. Within ten years every existing gas station must meet that requirement.
The big problem with a lot of these alternative fuels is that using fossil fuels is required to make them. It takes energy from power plants to produce alternative energy. Therefore we have to start looking at taking full advantage of renewable energies such as solar, wind, and water so that making hydrogen, for instance, is not reliant on the use of fossil fuels. I am really intrigued by the possibilities of developing energy from wind in many areas of the country.
Many environmentalists will scoff at my next two suggestions. First, until these programs start to take hold a limited amount of drilling should be allowed to further production of U.S. oil. Secondly, I feel that it is time to consider a huge expansion of our nuclear energy capabilities. It has been decades since Three Mile Island and there has been so many improvements in technology. France currently generates over 75% of their electricity from Nuclear power. It actually exports energy at a nice profit and offers its residents the cheapest electricity in Europe and they also enjoy some of the cleanest air in Europe.
The advantage of all of these programs with the exception of drilling for additional oil is that the human race benefits by a cleaner environment.
To some extent many of these ideas are currently taking place in some form or another. What we need is a formal plan with a concrete goal that the US people can get behind. Someone needs to show us the future so that we do not keep making the same mistakes we did in the past.
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