There’s two basic types of volcano and those which involve basalt tend to be kinder and gentler, ergo safer to be around.

I’m not sure geothermal would be bad anywhere (other than the associated earthquakes, of course) but it’s just easier and cheaper near hot zones like that one because you don’t have to drill so deep to get to hot rock. Salt domes also are hotter than other areas, so it might be possible to run a bit of geothermal using heated brine. I’ve never looked into it.

Anyhoo, I was just answering the question asked, that yes, there are many approaches being used even by people who are expanding their fossil fuel usage. There WILL come a time when assorted reserves are depleted. Many of the oldest reserves have done so. Many coal beds have been mined out. The result of the emissions might be so harmful that we want to stop as soon as possible.

I fully agree those who think the solution is smaller cars are forgetting that even if you drain a bucket slower, you still drain it in time. It might give more time to develop those alternative energy concepts but there’s no proof we need the time, just that we don’t want to cut back.

David for shipstones as Heinlein envisioned

So China is building nuclear plants all the while they are consuming large amounts of coal and oil. If you mention the word nuclear in the US, people get nutty and ill-tempered.

I like solar and wind for power, but the technology isn’t there, yet, to be an effective, efficient substitute. Of course, wind is only good if you’re not a rich democrat senator who is disturbed by the unsightly view.

Wait, Japan is dropping nuclear in favor of solar? See my remark regarding China. I like solar, it charges the batteries in my boat and motorcycle and keeps my yard lights going…as long as I have good rechargeable batteries in them.

Brazil-who is doing what we can’t do in the Gulf, thanks to our present federal administration–drilling for oil-is using food for fuel? Is that the same as using up all our food corn for fuel when it hasn’t made one significant difference in our fuel consumption? I believe it is more important to eat than to drive. By the way, hemp is supposedly a more usable fuel substitute from what I hear…seriously.

Geothermal is good…if you happen to be sitting on a volcano. Of course, there are the volcano down side, too.

One reason that diesel fuel is so expensive in the US is that much of it is exported to Europe-where they use it for motor fuel far more than we do, as compared to gasoline.

All that was meant to be somewhat tongue-in-cheek; what my point is-and was-I’m not against alternative forms of energy, but I am also not for shutting down our economy and culture while we wait for it. We still need fuel; right now, that fuel is ‘fossil’ fuel. Let’s make good use of that resource for ourselves in the meantime.

I am not willing to sacrifice our culture and lifestyle in favor of those who are.

China is building a number of nuclear power plants, that would reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Spain is working hard on solar power to replace fossil fuel dependence.

The USA and other countries are building wind turbines capable of generating something like 2 megawatts each when the wind blows. That would take something like 500 to equal a one gigawatt nuclear power plant, but it’s something.

Germany and Norway are two countries among many which are expanding solar power generation. Japan recently decided they wanted to go that route due to the nuclear problems associated with the earthquake and tsunami.

Brazil is big time into ethanol from sugar cane for fuel. They also built a hydroelectric plant a few decades back which was supposed to put out the total energy demand of most of South America. Power transmission is a problem, but it definitely replaced much fossil fuel power.

Greenland or Iceland (I can never remember which) is going big time into geothermal power generation. They can produce aluminum from ore with zero carbon dioxide output that way. (In fact any manufacturing which requires electricity can be moved there, so maybe the jobs will quit going to China and start heading north.)

What we really need is a really good, really cheap energy storage device, a better battery.

David for better living

I don’t think I used the word ‘deserve’, but I’ll go with it. Who, then, is to decide what we deserve? Why can we not deserve to use our resources as we see fit; why can we not deserve to use whatever we can afford to use?

Are China and Russia, or any other country, doing anything to reduce their dependency on hydrocarbon fuels? If we shut our economy or culture down to fit into this global citizen mentality, we will find ourselves subservient (more than we already are, economically) to superior cultures.

As I stated, I am not against researching for better, more efficient fuel sources, but in the meantime, we must survive on the resources at hand.

As for the comment regarding not enough oil to support us, I must again disagree. A new field in TX is making more than a million barrels per day. The fact that we can’t refine it is, again, a product of arbitrary government controls that prohibit new ways of refining or the building of new facilities to handle the work. It wouldn’t matter if we tripled our production, the refining of oil is limited to old technology and limited facilities. Of course, the EPA is doing all it can to try to shut it down.

As for the efficiency of automobiles; again, I think your premise is flawed. Automobiles of today are more than twice as efficient as those of years past. The Avalanche (oh yes, I drive an evil SUV) I drive gets about 18 mpg; the 1972 Chevrolet pickup my late father drove got less than 8.

We deserve, sir, what we can afford to deserve; both individually, and as a society. It is called freedom and independence.

They also need enough inspectors on watch to keep people like the BP executive on board that day in line, the inspectors NEED STOP PRODUCTION AUTHORITY when standards aren’t being met.

I’m not sure of the numbers but there are around 3500 rigs in the GOM there are only enough inspectors for the Minerals and Mines Dept. to visit each rig for 4 hours a day 7 day a week for a 8 hr work day and not travel time between rigs. AND STILL NOT INSPECT EACH RIG AS REQUIRED BY THEIR RULES ONCE A MONTH ! ! ! Severely under staffed….

A once a month visit is not enough, they need to be watched more regularly, if not continously. And by surprise visit with permanent placement of inspectors on a rig that has problems with compliance.

On another note, we don’t control the price of oil, the vast majority of it comes from the middle east, WHY? We have plenty of our own, we just don’t want to drill for it or give people jobs we’d rather give our momey to the middle eastern types……

Last but not least technology needs to be developed for alternative sources.
I asked about a gas/ electric car recently, it only uses the electric when its going less than 25 mph, I don’t know about you , but as far as I’m concerned thats just not good enough for the asking price of the vehicle.

I know you’re sincere and your heart is honest about the way you feel. However, I must vehemently reject your argument, sir. Your premise if flawed.

We use a lot of oil because our technology and our culture allows-nay, requires it. I don’t care about other countries use of oil. Let them take care of their own business; I am not a globalist, sir, I am an American. I care about our taking care of ourselves, our lives, our economy, and our culture.

If alternative sources of energy were so popular, our free market would support them. The technology hasn’t gotten there, yet; for whatever reason. If other countries (that I don’t care about) were all over this, they would be light-years ahead of us…but, they are not.

I am not against exploring other sources of energy; I am not against research and development of those alternative sources. In the meantime, I am for using all the oil that it takes to make our country survive. I am for drilling anywhere a rig can be placed; I am against supporting foreign dependence on crude oil.

Raising prices to European levels is absurd. The reasons their prices are so high is that they have no energy of their own; they are more dependent on foreign crude than we are.

Moving prices to those levels would absolutely devastate our economy on so many levels. For example, oil isn’t just for gasoline or diesel. It is used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, plastics, paint, fertilizers, and pesticides to just name a few.

If you want to pay $20/gal for gasoline, then the price of eggs just went to $25; the cost of a gallon of milk goes to $25; cosmetics rise to triple; pharmaceuticals (if you think are bad now) doubles or triples in price.

There is absolutely no reason, if allowed to drill onshore or off, crude oil prices should be anywhere near what they are.

I agree that alternative energy sources should be developed; but not at the cost of our lifestyle, our culture, our economy, or our independence.

By the way, Exxon will clean up the environment and they will be fined accordingly…if they are at fault for the incident. You are assuming that they are to blame for this, it could be accidental and they could have done everything right…who knows? I’m sure the state and federal regulatory authorities will determine in due time.

I do, in fact, think we are entitled, sir, to any and all resources necessary to make the US work. I am not too concerned with the rest of the world, or what they think of us.

We can all learn (or re-learn) to ride horses and walk more (or ride bicycles-until the tires wear out).

Better learn to garden, too; and, without the aid of fertilizers or insecticides.

Better learn to swing an ax, too.

All in the name of environment…and getting in shape.