I received an email:
"Does anybody out there have any memory of the reason given for the establishment of the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ...... during the Carter Administration? The Department of Energy was instituted 8-04-1977 TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.
Hey, pretty efficient, huh?????
AND NOW IT'S 2009, 32 YEARS LATER ... AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS NECESSARY DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR
* THEY HAVE 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES
* AND LOOK AT THE JOB THEY HAVE DONE!
THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY 'WHAT WAS I THINKING?'
* Ah yes, good ole bureaucracy.
And NOW we are going to turn the Banking System & the Auto Industry over to them?
* God Help Us !!! "
End of quote.
So my gut reaction was that while "true" we are no less dependent on foreign oil, I had my doubts that DOE was all about oil, and only oil, for the last 32 years.
DOE history is long and convoluted and shrouded in politics. It is a government agency. It has flaws. But DOE's principle mission at conception was to unite all forms of energy under one roof. Nuclear. Solar. Geothermal. Carbon. Nuclear ... weapons. High energy physics. Research and development. Climate change. Efficiency. Nuclear waste cleanup. Sound environmental practice.
DOE does high impact high risk R & D because industry could not or would nut pursue these avenues because of their cost and high risk of failure.
I urge you to read the DOE history. See how Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton modified and changed the Dept.
The best summary I can offer is this:
We need energy conservation and efficiency. We need to diversify our energy portfolio. By and large Republicans have argued for less control of oil and gas, and more drilling and clean coal. Thereby reducing the percentage of imports to domestic production. Democrats have gone for the fuel efficiency, reduced drilling, energy conservation.
What I find funny is that all the presidents have had the same energy plan. Conserve. Make efficient. Invest in new tech. As with all things political, everyone is to blame from the american public [yes you too H2 owner], to the politicians, to the corporations. No one has been holier than though. No one has capitalized on an energy crisis to bring about action [let alone change]. 39 years since this discussion started.
Not too much accomplished.
If you point the finger, use the middle one. if you need to direct it somewhere ... look in the mirror.
We voted them in.we keep them there. we let nothing happen. we buy the gas. we buy the oil. we dont ask for solar on our roof. we dont ask for a wind turbine. we let the market decide whats best for us. and the market obliges by selling us stuff we want because they are not providing us the products/services/technology we NEED.
We need leaders. Leaders who work ALL year. Leaders that work together for the common good.
