Fortune.com/CNN Money - Doomsday on Energy Independence

[liberal N proud]

Plugged in

Energy independence is a disaster in the making

It's been a rallying cry since the 1970s -- but it could doom the economy, the environment and our position in the world.
By Justin Fox, FORTUNE editor-at-large
March 1, 2006: 11:24 AM EST

NEW YORK (FORTUNE) - It may be one of the most dangerous phrases in the English language. It certainly is one of the most expensive.

I speak of "energy independence," a rallying cry since the oil crisis of the 1970s and one that has been getting a ton of ink (and pixels) lately, especially since President Bush brought up the subject in his State of the Union address.

<snip>

Investing in R&D and handing out scholarships for science and engineering students are good things, mind you, and many of those calling for energy independence are driven by similarly wholesome motives. But I'm a big believer that words count, and the words "energy independence" are potentially disastrous ones.

To put it most starkly: We could have energy independence tomorrow if Congress simply slapped a huge tariff on energy imports (would $250 per barrel of oil do it?). Meanwhile, skyrocketing fuel prices would shift the economy into reverse, throw tens of millions of Americans out of work, and what oil and natural gas we have left under our territory would be rapidly depleted.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/28/news/economy/pluggedin_fortune/index.htm


What happened to American ingenuity, where would Ford or any of the early inventors of American business be if they waited on Congress to invest in their idea. Waiting for a corporate handout.

[kenny blankenship]

1. Relax. Energy independence is like Bush going to Mars

he doesn't mean it and it won't happen anyway for a host of economic and technical reasons.
I promise you President Fuckwad has already forgotten he ever said anything about it.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. no different than the doomsday voices talking about Edison and his

evil lightbulbs. All the gas lighters would be out of work, electricity was an unknown danger, and besides, the technology we knew was better than risking our future on something untried.

this guy has the same backwards attitude and analysis. It is as though his mindset is stuck on oil, and therefore there will never be low cost, low polution, efficient energy source. He is full of it.

[AX10]

3. The problem with most business journals (Forbes, Fortune) is that...

they are not really about the free market. These RAGS are dedicated to promoting the well being of those who benefit from the status quo.

[BlueEyedSon]

4. There wont.

[phantom power]

5. He seems to think that our imported oil will last forever and ever...

But if he wants to keep burning fossil fuels, I've got some disastrous phrases for him: "THC shutdown" or "Hurricane Katrina" or "Coral bleaching" or "bark beetles" or "extended drought" or "crop failures" or "permafrost methane" ...

[spag68]

6. energy

an elusive thing. we can do this, I've posted this before. I personally worked in 1974-5 south of Pgh. u of pgh&gov. pilot plant for coal to gas. when we were done it produced methane competitive with 15$ a barrel, so I know it could be done much better today. so don't let them claim there's no way out. Also get over nuke plants. they are much better then you think and much safer then you think

[n2doc]

7. It doesn't really matter what they think

Oil or its equivalent will eventually be 250 a barrel or more. The only variable is where the money will go- to other countries or to US companies producing alternative fuels. And how fast it will happen.
No one thought that $60/barrel oil was sustainable.....the slow boiling/squeezing of the American Consumer has begun...

[phantom power]

8. Yeah, but like he says, "words matter."

I don't know about anybody else, but I just got a migraine from the irony of that rube talking about how we'd risk $250/barrel oil and climate change (and dogs and cats living together!) if we were so foolish as to pursue (gasp) energy independence.

For his touching faith in the Eternal Well Of OPEC OIL, I think I shall award him a Tinkerbell:

[spag68]

9. energy

at the risk of repeating myself. we can make OIL PRODUCTS FROM COAL FAR CHEAPER THEN 250$ oil.

[spag68]

10. oil

I would like to say also that oil in our future, if we have a future , will be far more valuable for it's prtrochems. so burning it is stupid

[phantom power]

11. no doubt, but the CO2 will kill us all.