Oil, Energy Independence Day in 10 Years, Drilling, Becoming OPEC 2.0, and Banana Splits

I was just getting ready to close down the laptop for the evening when I began thinking about how much my views have changed on our nation's energy policies. It's the 4th of July and I enjoyed a banana split to celebrate. (Long time since I've had one of those.) I was in high school during the 70's oil crisis and enjoyed those many years of driving 55 mph on the interstate (I'm being very facetious here.) I heard on Sirius radio that one of our congressmen proposed bringing back the 55 mph limit. While conservation is a good thing, so is our nation's (and my personal) sanity and bringing back the 55 mph speed limit is one of those ideas I hope we shoot down with a vengeance. I'm one of the biggest offenders of conservation when it comes to my Suburban, but I love to drive and I've enjoyed having a big vehicle. I hope to change that soon and move to a much more efficient vehicle once I decide what to buy. I tend to keep cars for quite a while so it's an important decision, one I don't want to make too quickly and realize I've made a choice that doesn't work for me. I actually am very concerned about energy independence, creating green products, and preserving our environment along with building a vibrant economy.It's one of the reasons I'm an advisor to Sustainable Minds, a company who helps make designing green products easier.

One of the things that I've always disliked about politics is the polarizing nature of how each side takes sides, making arguments win-lose when a combined solution is really what's needed. Americans are getting hit below the belt right now with the one-two-punch of high gas prices (along with the associated rise in food and other prices) and a struggling economy. Rather than take a sensible approach, Obama and McCain are framing the debate as energy alternatives vs. more drilling, turning the argument into yet another polarizing debate.

I'm glad Obama is strongly for creating energy alternatives. I would love to drive a hydrogen vehicle if they were available at a reasonable price with sufficient fueling stations available. I believe our nation's resources should be dedicated to becoming a new economy of alternative energy and green technologies. Just like John Kennedy ignited the American engineering spirit of the space program with his challenge to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade, we should make a current day challenge of bringing hydrogen cars and fueling stations across the country in less than ten years. Where's our government when we need it? If our government made the same kind of investment in becoming energy independent that we made to get to the moon, we'd be fueling a whole new economy of alternative energy businesses that could solve our energy problems and serve to the rest of the world. I believe in our continued investment in NASA but I'd delay everything we have on the table for the next 10 years to redirect that money into celebrating an Energy Independence Day in ten years or less. How about it Obama -- make the challenge: Energy Independence Day in less than 10 years. We do it, not because it is easy, but because it is hard... remember that kind of inspiration? Let's get moving, Washington.

I also believe we could use our oil reserves to help fund the creation of our energy independence. I flippantly said one day, "Lets drill offshore, sell the oil to China, and use the proceeds to fund the creation of hydrogen cars." Not such a crazy idea after all, eh? It would be like selling China the oil equivalent of crack. Let them build up their dependence on oil to an even greater extent, and then sell them our green energy technology and products as even higher oil prices squeeze their economy and slow growth down the road. I do believe we have to drill for more oil using US resources to lessen the impact OPEC has on us. That doesn't mean we have to drill in Anwar, but parts of Colorado, Wyoming, South/North Dakota, Montana are sitting on sizable oil reserves. Those along with the oil sitting offshore could create at least a balancing factor against the current out of control oil price situation. Let others buy our expensive oil for a change, or they can buy our alternative energy technology instead. With the alternative energy and hydrogen cars created, the USA would be next generation OPEC 2.0 of alternative energy and oil. In ten years our problem could do a 180 and become our biggest strength.