Public Opinion: Can the United States Achieve Energy Independence?

A Resounding 'YES" to Energy Indpendence.

In 1961 President Kennedy pledged that America would land a man on the moon within the decade. Despite all the problems and naysayers, we did it in 1969.

If we didn't have the best government money can buy, another American president could make a pledge to achieve energy independence and Americans would make it happen.

I was fortunate enough to work in the Saturn/Apollo program. I stood on the crawler tracks and watched Apollo 13 leave the pad. I watched in awe for five years as I witnessed the spectacle of America ... all walks of life, all disciplines ... pulling together to overcome tremendous technical problems and actually exceed the goals.

Ethanol, wind, more drilling, etc. are straw dogs, attempts by cheap politicians to make Americans think something is being done. It's shameful. Congress and the President fiddle while 'Rome' burns.

COULD America be energy secure in 10 years, hell yes. Will we? Not until the Washington DC rats nest is thoroughly cleaned out.

Energy Independence

All that's needed is leadership. What would happen if, starting next Monday, all appropriately sited new houses were required to include solar panels on their roofs for both electricity and hot water? All new houses were required to have water tempering tanks to warm incoming water to room temp before heating for hot water? All new hybrid vehicles must have solar cells in addition to regenerative power. All fossil-fueled cars must run on natural gas within 2 years. All new cars must get 50 MPG by 2012? All this is do-able now and would substantially reduce oil dependency. To say differently is pure dinosauer thinking.

Energy independence

Energy independence should be our goal, not necessarily oil independence, but energy independence. The US should move quickly towards lowering and soon stopping all energy imports. Alternative energy is just one part of a policy that we should have started towards long ago. We can build home, business, and vehicles as well as public transportation that rely primarily on alternative energy. We can change our society to produce safe food closer to the communities that use it with vertical farming. The US is willing to support these efforts in other countries as a way for those countries to prosper, why do we not put the same efforts into our own country?

Energy

It took the USA over 100 years to get where we are today and with the present Congress we will never be energy independent. Our biggest threat is our Government. They don't believe the supply can be cut off at any time from Iran,Argentina etc.

Al Gore has his head in the sand to think we can convert our dependence in 10 years. It will take over 25 to 50 years. We have too many big rigs on the road that that can't be converted over night. We have too many power plants that depend on oil.

We need to drill for oil, use more solar and wind power. This is a world problem, not just the USA!

BRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!

a few questions, before you change your life style and probably your form of governance-

1- what % of the world's atmosphere is CO2? 97%?50%3%? not relevant to this discussion?

2- what % of CO2 does man produce vs.that produced by mother geia? 100%? 50%? 30%? algore says it doesn't matter?

3- what factor does water evaporation play in the temperature vs. the man made CO2? 0%? just a tad? i live on land?

4- same question but for solar activity/wind currents/ ocean currents? only affects my local weather? can't be taxed? little katie couric never mentions it?

oh, and please don't tell me what the frogs in teenie weenie france are driving or all the excercise the poor slaves in commie china get by riding their bikes. no doubt, they would be mortified to ride in an escalade with the tunes pumping and the ac blowing at super snowflake=62 degrees.

Energy

Good article. We need to get the fact out. Where does the US get it oil from? Only about 16% comes from the Middle East. Canada and Mexico contribute the most of our foreign oil. What technology is availble today and in the future to off set oil? I nice chart would work. Educate us on the fact not the "sound bite". We need to see this before November!

Energy

Independence? Absolutely positively YES.YES!!!

Wise policy?? WE HAVE NO CHOICE!!!

The Arabs don't seem to know the story of the "chicken with the golden eggs".

If we can put a man on the moon we can solve our energy problems,

IF WE ARE WILLING AND IF OUR .... POLITITIONS LET US.

What has happened to the spirit of our Country? Have become a bunch of jelly-bellies?

Aux armes citoyens!!

It is my view that our country can do anything that it knows it should do and will do......France our european friend uses more nuclear energy per person than we do...just for starts....if our engineers and scientists can build a rocket to other planets in our solar system, we should let them use their experience to build a more efficient automobile and finally if the oil cartel was broken up by the Sherman Anti trust laws,and that means our congress, the oil scam would vanish too.....Cordially ....Steve...

Energy Independance

Not possible or likely considering we are not going to give up our living standard easily and fossil-based energy is still relatively cheap and available. Increased fuel costs are already downsizing demand, and the higher the costs go, the better the market works so long as the pirates are kept under control. But we also need to make some real changes; We need to improve public transportation availability to rural and bedroom communities and we need to encourage smaller vehicles including mopeds and scooters as most of the rest of the world has already done. We need national speed limits such as 55 for trucks and 65 for cars. We need to get more stuff moved by rail. We probably need to re-regulate the energy, rail, air, and trucking industries to run the bad guys off and to protect the folks. We need to increase the use of available alternative fuels to power our vehicles such as LNG, propane, biodiesel and ethanol. We need to quit using fossil fuels for electricity and we must improve the efficiency of the antiquated electrical grid. We must get the coal-to-liquids industry started. We need to make energy decisions based on facts rather than emotions. (Sea levels have been rising for over 2,000 years. We might have helped, but we didn't cause this.) We need to end our adiction to plastics in industry and in our homes and we need to revive the wood and natural fabrics industries. We need to nationally mandate recycling of all plastic regardless od cost. We need political and enviromental leadership that is honest about the problems and solutions and their true costs. Neither presidential candidate has an energy plan that will fix the problem. We need to limit environmental lawsuits to the ones that matter and to those that are based on science rather than emotions, and we need judges that know the difference. We need to drill every square inch that shows promise, no exceptions. We need to tax the problems and reward the solutions. We need an Energy Department that gets results or doesn't get funded. We need scientists to step up with solutions that work in our world not just the lab, and they need the funding to get those results now. We need to get real. We have let silly advertizing and fake politicians put our selfish interests above those of the country. High-dollar gas and other high-cost energy is here to stay.

Energy Conservation

The 9-11 goal was to sink our economy, which they failed to do. However, it appears the Democrats are going to do it for the terrorists by their refusal to drill here close to home. Until all these exotic alternative energy proposals of the Democrats become reality, if ever, we still need oil as a transition fuel to get us there. In essence, we need every fuel source available inasmuch as there is no single bullet that will save the day for us; i.e., oil, nuclear, coal, wind, solar, gas, etc., most of which we already enjoy access to if the government will get out of the way.