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| Kerry Offers 10-Year Plan for U.S. Energy Independence | |
| 2004-08-07 | |
| KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Reuters) - With crude oil prices at a record high, Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry (news - web sites) on Friday offered a 10-year, $30 billion proposal to move the nation toward energy independence. Under the measure, aides said, American companies and consumers would receive financial aid to develop and buy more fuel-efficient motor vehicles. In addition, it would set twin goals to have, by the year 2020, an even 20 percent of the nation's motor fuel and electricity come from alternative sources such as solar, wind, ethanol and biodiesel fuel. Kerry, on a cross-country campaign tour, arranged to formally announce the proposal during a visit to a family farm outside Kansas City. The measure would provide $10 billion to help automakers retool plants to build high-technology, fuel-efficient vehicles, and give consumers a tax credit of up to $5,000 to buy them.
The Massachusetts senator has made energy independence a centerpiece of his campaign for the White House and his proposal fleshed out earlier ones he has promoted on the campaign trail. The cost of the measure would be partially offset by President Bush has said a massive energy bill blocked by Kerry and other Senate Democrats would help reduce the demand for foreign oil largely by opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. In early trading Friday, oil prices climbed close to $45 a barrel, the highest level in 21 years for U.S. light crude futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange. | |
| Posted by:2% |
| #25 On Thursday Ford started production of a hybrid SUV for the 2005 model year. They plan on producing 20,000 vehicles in Year 1. Hybrid models already in production are being sold faster than they roll off the production line. I don't think we need to wait for biodiesel to become a working proposition -- the market has already begun it's work. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2004-08-07 10:47:30 PM |
| #24 I think Biodiesel will expand as the market requires. Initially there will probably be fairly limited demand even if the government mandates one pump should be biodiesel, if the idea takes off a lot of money will be made by whomever can answer your question effectively. That probably meanst the oil companies. They may buy all the used McDonalds' fry oil, or they may set up biomass farms out in Imperial valley, or they may come up with something nobody has really considered yet. The advantage of all of this is it trusts the market rather than fighting against the market, and it allows the oil companies to provide the infrastructure and thus gives them the opportunity to be involved with the next generation of fuel rather than fighting aganst it as they would other possible options. If it all falls flat and their isn't enough biodiesel the diesel engine SUVs would still run on regular diesel. |
| Posted by: yank 2004-08-07 8:39:28 PM |
| #23 Aris, don't know how to say this... but the US is pumping ME oil reserves like a French mistress, cheap, wholesome and socialally acceptable. When she's dry we will look around the neighborhood for a higher quality of petro. I'd be looking at Mexico again. It's a shame, but hell, that's just the way it is. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-08-07 7:17:11 PM |
| #22 Resurrect the GM Diesel engined autos from the '70's! __________The elderly among us lived through all this same B.S. IN THE 1970'S...MUTATIS MUTANDIS.. |
| Posted by: borgboy 2004-08-07 7:13:40 PM |
| #21 So, with just a few billion here and a few billion there, John Kerry can just wave a wad of my cash to give away to "solve" our energy problems. That's Democrat 101. Throw tax money in a rat hole in the hope it grows smaller. When it doesn't, reward failure, and throw in more money. Continue until Republicans cut the program, declare them the enemy of the middle class, and blame them for the program's failure. It's kept Ted Kennedy in a job for 42 years. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-08-07 6:54:48 PM |
| #20 Well, it shouldn't be left to be managed by the politicians that have worked hardest to shut down drilling in territory of the United States, either. |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2004-08-07 6:05:08 PM |
| #19 "Let the market sort itself out. Foreign affairs and wars are typically not left to "market forces", AFAIK. So, if U.S.A's "energy independence" is not considered merely for the sake of economics as they stand by themselves, but rather as part of no longer being dependant on Middle-earth dictators, that clearly suggests to me that such an "energy independence" shouldn't be left to market forces either. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2004-08-07 5:03:42 PM |
| #18 SH, I work in your sister plant in Ontario. Keep up the good work. We build lots of crew cab Silverados. Gas prices don't seem to be stopping people from buying. |
| Posted by: john 2004-08-07 4:40:39 PM |
| #17 Craig: âJust where the heck are the hundreds of millions of barrels of biodiesel supposed to come from?â Widescale Biodiesel Production from Algae http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.html Advanced biotech applied to algae might lead to economical production of biodiesel. (I donât support Kerryâs plan and I donât believe biodiesel is ready for large-scale production. However people should be aware that the future prospects for large-scale renewable production of fuel are good.) |
| Posted by: Anonymous5032 2004-08-07 4:32:12 PM |
| #16 Bravo, Leigh. Let the market sort itself out. If gasoline prices were truly high, then people would start conserving, which they have not. We don't need to bankroll the auto makers or the windmill enthusiasts or the hydrogen economy BS. The alternative technologies will blossom when they are weaned from government pork and when they are truly economically viable. The less government involvement the better. |
| Posted by: Tom 2004-08-07 1:52:04 PM |
| #15 Any bets on sKerry giving up 'his family''s SUV? Anyone? Ferris? |
| Posted by: Raj 2004-08-07 1:14:44 PM |
| #14 Or.... we could drill llke mad off the coast of Florida. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-08-07 11:13:12 AM |
| #13 You people don't understand physics, if we have cheap french fry grease diesel we will be able to freely roam the back roads of America running over spring gobblers (they are mindless then) throw them in the trunk with the cold fusion machine and ziola! The fish carbureator will do the rest. It'll work, but you have to clap real hard. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-08-07 11:12:33 AM |
| #12 of course windfarms every where but off his and Teddy's property on the Vineyard. Thet're for the little people, dontcha know? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-08-07 11:00:56 AM |
| #11 Raptor - think flywheel for same effect (storing inertia) perfected 100 yrs ago. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-08-07 10:38:27 AM |
| #10 Yank, Just where the heck are the hundreds of millions of barrels of biodiesel supposed to come from? Sure we can get a few hundred thousand or so barrels from old french fry oil, but even that puny source is already being used in such things as pet foods. Fine, we probably can recover some in 15 years or so from the turkey gut type processing (TDC), but it will still just be chicken feed compared to what we will need. |
| Posted by: Craig 2004-08-07 10:35:10 AM |
| #9 SH,saw this truck(called the contractors special)on the History Cannel.The truck also has a system that stores hydralic pressure when braking at stop lights/signs then releasing the pressure to assist when starting from the stop.I would give the a few years to iron out the bugs beforew trusting this system. |
| Posted by: Raptor 2004-08-07 10:25:55 AM |
| #8 .com> I think your analysis about vision and planning vice pie in the sky goals is right on. Hard choices is the key - most politicos avoid them like the plague. Which is because most politicians only care about being re-elected and retaining power vice doing what's neccesary for the country. Wich is why Bush is getting my vote again - the man seems to have no problem making hard and often unpopular choices and then sticking by them. |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2004-08-07 9:48:35 AM |
| #7 whoops house keeping /Lucky |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-08-07 8:46:18 AM |
| #6 Ye of little faith! Turkey guts, bio-mass, french fry grease, self-refilling oil, cold-fusion, warm fusion, fuzzy fusion, ethanol! methanol! Yeah! |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-08-07 8:45:32 AM |
| #5 So, with just a few billion here and a few billion there, John Kerry can just wave a wad of my cash to give away to "solve" our energy problems. What an idiot. If those other technologies were cheaper than $50/barrel oil... we'd already have implemented them. Leave the market alone to solve the cost of fuel problems. Either: fuel will become cheaper, or alternative fuel vehicles will become cost-efficient. It's just STUPID to artificially force us into inefficient/expensive alternative fuel vehicles WHEN WE DON'T WANT TO GO. When it's cost effective, the auto companies will offer the better cost-efficient products and I will beat a path to their door to buy them. Otherwise: HANDS OFF! (Damn! Don't the 'rats know that command economies suck?) |
| Posted by: Leigh 2004-08-07 3:36:49 AM |
| #4 So the plan is to tax me heavily, skim off a bunch for auto manufacturers to retool (and probably to fund public works in Byrdland, West Virginia) and then give me back $5000 to spend on a vehicle from the retooled plant. Will we be changing base lead into gold as well? Another question is whether we will be retooling just Ford and GM or is Daimler still elligible for a public handout in the US? Will Nissan and Toyota gets some too? I work in a plant that manufactures Silverado pick-ups. We are now producing a small number of parallel hybrid units. They are an interesting product in that the bed of the truck now has a large outlets where the owner can plug in stuff (I think the outlet produces 112VAC.) I imagine we will produce more diesels if the Energy Plan ever gets signed. Note - an intersting feature of our plan is that within the last several we have installed a piping system from the city landfill that provides a high percentage of the methane that we use for heating the plant and our process ovens. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-08-07 2:37:07 AM |
| #3 Kerry will drill asap. He could care less about anything other than Kerry. BTW, this swiftboat scam is really interssting. The action reports about the infamous water rescue, the incoming fire, the shady reports about valour. Kids got some splain'n to do. But I think the hard questions get kicked, like a can, down the road. Eastern hobnobs need to feel the love. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-08-07 2:35:47 AM |
| #2 I love magic wands. They're soooo easy to use and nothing is impossible. A plan is more than a set of goals. It's more than an outline of gosh-gollies & gee-whizzes. It requires a lot of advice from those that actually know the relevant technologies, a clear head with no axes to grind to make sense of it, and the authority to issue marching orders. It happens in private industry everyday. It could happen in government, but it does require someone with vision, the balls to shame politicians into line, and the will to make the hard choices... Lessee, is there anyone running for President who has any of those qualities? Do any of them have them all? It's a tough world, we have to work with what we've got - perfection is pretty thin on the ground. Sigh. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-08-07 1:09:18 AM |
| #1 "The measure would provide $10 billion to help automakers retool plants to build high-technology, fuel-efficient vehicles, and give consumers a tax credit of up to $5,000 to buy them. " This is similar to Gore's idea which has put in position to have hydrogen cars within the next 20 years. Of course hydrogen cars were 20 years out before Gore was in in office as well. They appear to always be 20 years out which is a nice way to ensure the current administration doesn't have to actually be accountable. The other answer is you could legislate that gas stations need to have one pump with biodiesel by 2006 and watch the auto manufacturers start to produce a larger number of diesel SUVs (which would run on Biodiesel or regular diesel fuel). Then sit back and watch the market economy do the rest. You'd probably have a ton of biodiesel SUV's by 2009 and be well on the way towards realistic energy independence by 2014. |
| Posted by: yank 2004-08-07 12:57:32 AM |