US to become energy inddpendent by 2030?

Not going to happen anytime soon.

This EPA will find something to put the Kibosh on fracking. Originally Posted by TheDaliLama

Now that part I am worried about.

Also, not enough refineries for what we do produce.

refineries ...

in a nutshell are the kibosh.

the big boys that own them dont want any competition either

There is enough non-agricultural land in the U.S. including the medians of our highways and byways to grow and harvest oil crops that can be used for biodiesel to supply our entire transportation fuel needs.

On top of that, there are initiatives now to produce biodiesel (30% more efficient than gasoline and the top entries in LeMans have won using diesels for the last few years going well over 200mph on the straights and averaging well over 100mph) using algae and/or bacteria.

The challenge is doing it on an industrial scale, but a distributed energy system, rather than the concentrations of refining capacity in four or five places (Houston and New Jersey for two) makes us much more secure to attacks by those who would wish and do us ill by damaging our infrastructure and causing economic havoc (the same holds true to our food production - distributed and local is better) not to mention it lowers transportation costs for moving fuel/energy supplies. Between efficiency improvements and local production of clean renewable fuels we could be easily energy independent by 2030 and be exporting that technology and know how to the rest of the world creating more American (and foreign) jobs.

Once we have solved and stabilized the energy problems we have now, most of the rest of human economic problems (water most importantly, food, transportation, housing, education, communication, human contribution to global warming, etc...) are much more solvable. Inexpensive clean renewable energy solves many other problems. Originally Posted by austxjr

That is a horrible idea.

Using food for fuel increases the costs of grains to unaffordable levels for the billions of poor around the world who depend on cheap grains to live.

Furthermore all it takes is one serious drought and all that harvest is gone.

No, let's not go the way of Brazil and grow food products to fill up our tanks when we have plenty of natural gas and petroleum to fuel our trucks and cars. As few as 700 natural gas stations added to existing truck stops could allow transition of trucks from deisel to natural gas.

It doesn't matter all our oil will be sold on the world market like it is now... Originally Posted by ekim008

Ekim, you aren't thinking it through.

If the US becomes energy independent, the US then no longer has any reason whatsoever to "be polite" to the OPEC nations. Yes, other people can buy their oil: WE DON'T NEED IT. This also means that other people can supply the cannon fodder for their wars: we no longer need to be their friends, and send our men to die in the sandbox.

That is a horrible idea.

Using food for fuel increases the costs of grains to unaffordable levels for the billions of poor around the world who depend on cheap grains to live. Originally Posted by theaustinescorts

I believe that Austxjr made the point that the grain would be grown on "non-agricultural" land, including the median strips in highways.

That way it won't affect grains we already grow on farms. It will add to them, not subtract from them.

I believe that Austxjr made the point that the grain would be grown on "non-agricultural" land, including the median strips in highways.

That way it won't affect grains we already grow on farms. It will add to them, not subtract from them. Originally Posted by ExNYer

There's a reason they cut the grass in those areas. It's so we can see.

btw what ever happend to W. Bush's State of the Union announcement that we were going to create fuel by growing SWITCHGRASS???

What ever happened to that great plan?

There's a reason they cut the grass in those areas. It's so we can see. Originally Posted by theaustinescorts

Don't need to if you wall if off. Like most of the highways in DFW.

Don't need to if you wall if off. Like most of the highways in DFW. Originally Posted by ExNYer

Wall it off?

How expensive would that be building colossal walls everwhere?

And how would that look?

And what about the people who paid money for all those signs?

And how would I see the signs for the places I'm seeking to find like the Dairy Queen?

I think I could live without a walled-in world.

Can't we just stop making all these terrible changes to our society and just leave things alone?

Change is bad more than good.

Obama will be out..................








...........................in 4 years!

Whirly, in case you haven't heard, Wisconsin and America is "trending" Obama! Originally Posted by bigtex

Why are you still monitoring the Polls? It doesn't matter anymore the election is over.

Wall it off?

How expensive would that be building colossal walls everwhere?

And how would that look?

And what about the people who paid money for all those signs?

And how would I see the signs for the places I'm seeking to find like the Dairy Queen?

I think I could live without a walled-in world.

Can't we just stop making all these terrible changes to our society and just leave things alone?

Change is bad more than good. Originally Posted by theaustinescorts

Dude, chill out. I'm talking about the low concrete walls (or barriers) that we already have on DFW highways that stop cars from crossing over. Or metal barriers if you like. I never said anything about building "colossal walls".

And the would be paid for by the energy crops grown on the medians. Concrete is cheap.

How would it look? The same as it does now.

And you would see the signs the same way you do now. Over the tops of the 3 foot walls.

Here is a contrary opinion:

http://www.businessweek.com/articles...scoff#r=hpt-ls

Don't sell your BP stock!

Ekim, you aren't thinking it through.

If the US becomes energy independent, the US then no longer has any reason whatsoever to "be polite" to the OPEC nations. Yes, other people can buy their oil: WE DON'T NEED IT. This also means that other people can supply the cannon fodder for their wars: we no longer need to be their friends, and send our men to die in the sandbox. Originally Posted by Sidewinder

If we become energy independent it won't be through hydrocarbons..

Dude, chill out. I'm talking about the low concrete walls (or barriers) that we already have on DFW highways that stop cars from crossing over. Or metal barriers if you like. I never said anything about building "colossal walls".

And the would be paid for by the energy crops grown on the medians. Concrete is cheap.

How would it look? The same as it does now.

And you would see the signs the same way you do now. Over the tops of the 3 foot walls. Originally Posted by ExNYer

Oh.....okay. Let's do it, as long as it's not "switchgrass." How about hemp?

Would hemp be a good crop for this purpose?

I hear hemp would be an ideal source of fuel.

Commercial hemp has a lot of uses. Paper, fuel, medicine - it should be our #1 crop.

So it's settled. We'll fence off the medians of all the highways and cultivate hemp. Who will get the concession? I hope it's not gonna be that company from Spain that owns all the toll roads.