Bigger challenge may be ending oil dependence

It is frustrating, to say the least, to experience the current war and look at the true, underlying causes of this conflict. Our society’s dependence on foreign sources for oil, mainly to power our over-consuming automobiles and SUVs, is something that this country, and our government, should never have allowed to happen. Now that it has, it is time to recognize that we consume 25 percent of the world’s oil reserves and we hold only 3 percent on our own shores. Until we recognize that we have a responsibility to dramatically change the way we live and commute, little will change.

There are many things that we, as Americans, can do. We can push hard on the development of hybrid cars, demand enlightened rail service, reasonably fund the development of alternative fuel sources, and simply live closer to our work and our shopping centers. We can demand that the new cars we buy offer 40 miles per gallon, a reasonable expectation, even with existing technology. This would save about 2.5 million barrels a day by 2020, about the same amount we currently important from the Persian Gulf.

And, it is time for Congress to do its part. Transportation is not a new problem. Oil consumption has been building for many years. We were awakened in 1974. When the headlines died out, and we became accustomed to the new, higher costs associated with oil use, we went back to sleep. Congress slept with us. I suggest that it is time for Congress to awaken, and stay awake, until this problem is solved.

The answer is not to drill in the Arctic wilderness, it is to prepare ourselves for a change in the way we consume oil. This should be a no-brainer. For some reason, we have been lulled to sleep by an aggressive oil and automobile industry. It’s time to awaken and do the really hard work that must be done by each and every one of us. I really wonder if we are up to the this most serious challenge. For some reason, this challenge makes the war in Afganistan seem like child’s play.

Everett

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