Is America too dependent on oil? (1 Viewer)

[Phys251]

If we are, what can we do about it other than just drilling or importing more oil?

 

[lemmiwinx]

Kind of like asking if humans are too dependent on oxygen.

 

[highroller]

Nuclear, wind, solar, hydrogen

 

[Gateman_Wen]

If we are, what can we do about it other than just drilling or importing more oil?

Use more alternative energy, wind, solar, hydro, tidal, and so on.

 

[Schism]

At present we don't have a viable alternative.

 

[Bodi]

If we are, what can we do about it other than just drilling or importing more oil?

Ever since I moved here and was paying 4x what Americans were paying for gas I realized how ****ed up it was... how wasteful Americans were... all the huge Ford 350's and Dodge Rams and raised monster trucks. My brother was complaining the other day about gas prices rising in the USA and I could not stop laughing. A bunch of whiners being the biggest contributors to Climate Change complaining about having to pay their fair share.

 

[Schism]

Use more alternative energy, wind, solar, hydro, tidal, and so on.

None of which currently aids transportation, or replaces heating oil or wood stoves in the north.

By all means, keep working on alt energy, but don't punish us by refusing to use our own natural resources.

Renewable energy just isn't ready for mass consumption.

 

[Noodlegawd]

If we are, what can we do about it other than just drilling or importing more oil?

Ride bicycles?

 

[Gateman_Wen]

None of which currently aids transportation, or replaces heating oil or wood stoves in the north.

By all means, keep working on alt energy, but don't punish us by refusing to use our own natural resources.

Renewable energy just isn't ready for mass consumption

Wood stoves? Where do you live, 1950?

 

[PeacefulWarrior]

Ever since I moved here and was paying 4x what Americans were paying for gas I realized how ****ed up it was... how wasteful Americans were... all the huge Ford 350's and Dodge Rams and raised monster trucks. My brother was complaining the other day about gas prices rising in the USA and I could not stop laughing. A bunch of whiners being the biggest contributors to Climate Change complaining about having to pay their fair share.

But....you're still here?

 

[Bodi]

Wood stoves? Where do you live, 1950?

@Schism

Don't wood stoves catch on fire?

 

[HIP56948]

One thing that might help. America is far behind a good portion of the world when it comes to public transportation.
I understand that people can't completely give up their cars, but the sad truth is: They CAN'T give up their cars because (in most cities) the
public transportation is essentially non-existent. Even here in fairly wealthy Sarasota, the buses from the outskirts to downtown take 75-90 minutes.
..simply because there are few buses available. Most people here, who work, usually say something like "We don't have public Transportation..
We have a sloth that might show up" PS: Our county commissioners are all right-wing dolts.

 

[MamboDervish]

If we are, what can we do about it other than just drilling or importing more oil?

The first thing we can do - and right away - is to stop pissing away gasoline recreationally. We may be dependent on oil for transportation for some more years, but for us to be using billions of gallons annually on dirt bikes and snowmobiles, just racing through the woods, jet skis throwing rooster tails while doing donuts in our lakes and rivers, idling our cars needlessly, etc. We have to become mindful of how destructive and disrespectful that is, of our planet, and all the lives on it. And how much fuel is consumed in recreational power boating? A sailboat might be more work, but the time on the water might be just as fulfilling, and healthier.

 

[Antiwar]

Similar to 'you can't violate the laws of physics,' we can't continue violating the 'laws of Nature' without suffering the consequences. People like to act like we have a choice ("no viable alternatives"). That's not how it works; we're entirely dependent on Earth's ecosystems. We have to change our destructive behaviors.

 

[The flaming lib]

If we are, what can we do about it other than just drilling or importing more oil?

Re elect the Trumpster. Gas was 2.00 Gal. And no supply worries.
now we’re at 4.00+ heading to $5.00+ and have to beg the Saudis, Iran, and venesua to please please send us some oil.
Heres the big kicker, who does $5.00 gas hurt the most? Inner city Blacks. They a working their asses off to pay for the already inflated mat gas to heat their cribs and put some food on the table. Now you doubled their fuel costs.
WTG China Joe you F ing idiot! Screwing over the Dems loyal voter block. Amazing, truly amazing that they will vote for more enslavement by Dems.

 

[Antiwar]

... (meme)

Yep, white supremacy as Christianity is a liberal thing.

 

[Lursa]

We've known for 50 years how much we needed to reduce our dependence and seriously invest in alternatives.

I always laugh when people sound like we need JUST ONE kind of alternative to replace oil. Or even to replace many of petroleum's roles. Jeebus. If you use alternatives for many of the other things, like home heating, then there's more left for diesel or manufacturing.

But pathetically, even with providing oil companies with incentives to develop alternatives...and incentives for private companies...our progress is so poor.

Because...we still have cheap oil. We'll just keep going until we're up against a wall and have few/no other choices. So short-sighted.

I'm just disgusted and tired of the conversations. I studied this for my degree, I sat in lines with my father in '73 for gas. Humans are a pathetic bunch.

 

[Schism]

@Schism

Don't wood stoves catch on fire?

They burn warm. Ask Michigan and Wisconsin. or anywhere it snows all winter.

 

[Felis Leo]

If we are, what can we do about it other than just drilling or importing more oil?

Modern nuclear reactors. We need to build dozens of them. Dozens upon dozens of them across the United States.

 

[PLizzy]

We've known for 50 years how much we needed to reduce our dependence and seriously invest in alternatives.

I always laugh when people sound like we need JUST ONE kind of alternative to replace oil. Or even to replace many of petroleum's roles. Jeebus. If you use alternatives for many of the other things, like home heating, then there's more left for diesel or manufacturing.

But pathetically, even with providing oil companies with incentives to develop alternatives...and incentives for private companies...our progress is so poor.

Because...we still have cheap oil. We'll just keep going until we're up against a wall and have few/no other choices. So short-sighted.

I'm just disgusted and tired of the conversations. I studied this for my degree, I sat in lines with my father in '73 for gas. Humans are a pathetic bunch.

Carbon fuels are "cheaper" than other alternatives because they doesn't have to pay for their environmental impact, because if there was a proper tax on how they pollute and alter the biosphere, they wouldn't be the cheapest energy anymore. It is government refusal to impose those costs on carbon fuels that makes them affordable.

 

[Phys251]

Modern nuclear reactors. We need to build dozens of them. Dozens upon dozens of them across the United States.

Get the price tag down and I'm willing to talk nuclear power. That or go with thorium.

 

[Mycroft]

One thing that might help. America is far behind a good portion of the world when it comes to public transportation.
I understand that people can't completely give up their cars, but the sad truth is: They CAN'T give up their cars because (in most cities) the
public transportation is essentially non-existent. Even here in fairly wealthy Sarasota, the buses from the outskirts to downtown take 75-90 minutes.
..simply because there are few buses available. Most people here, who work, usually say something like "We don't have public Transportation..
We have a sloth that might show up" PS: Our county commissioners are all right-wing dolts.

Here in Colorado Springs, it's 25-30 miles from the outskirts to downtown. Almost NOBODY rides the bus. Hell, not that many NEED to go downtown. Uber is more convenient.

 

[PLizzy]

Modern nuclear reactors. We need to build dozens of them. Dozens upon dozens of them across the United States.

Modern nuclear reactors are safe and far, far less impactful on the environment than carbon base fuels like coal.

 

[PLizzy]

Get the price tag down and I'm willing to talk nuclear power. That or go with thorium.

The reason nuclear power is expensive is the insurance is sky high, due to baseless fears of accidents and meltdowns, of which only three have occurred in all of history.

 

[Phys251]

The reason nuclear power is expensive is the insurance is sky high, due to baseless fears of accidents and meltdowns, of which only three have occurred in all of history.

Yes, and the safety measures needed to prevent a leak, and cost overruns.

Here in Georgia we are literally paying for multi-billion-dollar cost overruns at the future nuclear units at Plant Vogtle.

'Outrageous' price tag: Plant Vogtle cost doubles to $28.5 billion as other owners balk

The cost of two nuclear reactors being built in Georgia is now $28.5 billion, more than twice the original price tag.

www.augustachronicle.com