America’s Energy Future

Although new oil reserves are routinely discovered in the U.S. and other parts of the world, eventually oil will be almost entirely consumed.

And the looming lack of oil is about much more that just transportation (which includes asphalt for roads, by the way), and keeping the lights, heat, and air-conditioning on. Take a look around you ““ see any plastic? Plastics and many other synthetics are manufactured from oil, from the mouse in your hand, to the insulation of conductors (all wiring), to the fibers in your carpet, to the siding and roof on your house (probably), a lot of the fibers in your clothes, the tires on your car, and even a good portion of the car itself these days.

I’m not saying there will be apocalyptic consequences, and am not concerned about “˜global warming,’ but if planning doesn’t take place soon there could be. Luckily we have some options. And when I say “˜we,’ I mean the U.S. as not all nations ““ even industrialized ones ““ have the same types or quality of potential resources.

A basic plan would include many more nuclear reactors, a move to industrial scale ethanol production, and water piped to the middle and southwestern states via coastal desalination plants. Solar and wind power could certainly help in some locations, but are not viable nationally. Electric cars might be a good choice further down the road, but currently take too much energy to be as viable in the near and mid-term as combustion engines using ethanol. This plan focuses on changing over to proven technologies rather than relying on what might be perfected at some point in the future.