Reese Halter: Oil addiction and a plan to be free by 2030

[highplainsdem]

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/energy/stories/oil-addiction-and-a-plan-to-be-free-by-2030

Oil addiction and a plan to be free by 2030
The largest oil spill in U.S. history requires a rethink on antiquated, dirty and toxic energy.
By Dr. Reese Halter
Mon, Jun 07 2010 at 8:09 AM EST


The latest pictures of brown pelicans smothered in crude from the bleeding Deepwater Horizon blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico are heartbreaking, especially for those of us who have been covering this tragedy since day one.

Our nation is at a cross-roads: Should we continue to provide tens of billions of dollars in subsidies, grants and tax breaks for oil, gas and coal -- as we have done for many decades? For instance, this year’s budget included $18 billion in tax breaks to oil drillers, refineries and distributers. And the foreign countries that we buy oil from pay even more. According to the most recent data from the International Energy Agency, governments in developing countries pay $310 billion in subsidies to oil, gas and cola companies.

Or should the U.S. congress support a $150 billion investment in clean energy that would create 1.7 million new jobs, significantly lower unemployment and kick-start our nation down the road away from oil, gas and coal?

The first step to contending with any addiction is admitting there’s a problem. The toughest step, unquestionably, is recognizing that there is a problem. Once identified then, the saying that “for every problem there are at least three solutions” can be initiated.

There are at least three key reasons why the U.S. needs to devise a 20-year plan of action to completely distance itself from the dependency of fossil fuels by 2030.

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[doc03]

1. I just heard the stupidest caller ever on a talk show

According to this nut the oil spill in the gulf proves Al Gore was wrong when he said we are running out of oil. If we were running out of oil like Al Gore said we are, this oil spill would have stopped by now. He blames the liberal media for not exposing Al Gore's lies. He went on and on about Al Gore flying around the world on his private jet and living in a 5 million dollar mansion. I wonder which one of the idiot talk shows he heard this from. Those people don't think up things like that on their own he had to hear it from Glenn Beck or one of the others.

[FarCenter]

2. Misleading title - the article does not describe a plan, just a wish