All we need is determination and a true desire to increase energy, rather than spouting platitudes.
Radioactivity is Our Friend
There is really only one satisfactory source of electricity for an energy hungry nation that produces 25% of all the world's stuff: nuclear power.
Critics will harrumph: they cost a lot and take lots of time to build. Well, not quite: they are referring specifically to the Toshiba/Westinghouse APC1000. This a 1,000 megawatt montrosity, and just the construction costs are a billion bucks, and all the licensing and safety stuff adds billions more. Environmentalists can delay construction of said monstrosity for a decade or more, filing lawsuit after lawsuit.
There is a new generation of mini-me, fast-neutron nuclear reactors. They are only 10-100 megawatts, cost only a few million, are quickly constructed, and totally safe (nuclear accidents are impossible with this new design of lead cooled reactors).
Natural Gas
Here on the Left Coast, almost 50% of our electricity comes from natural gas. That's foolish: we should be using nuclear to make electricity. We can easily use natural gas in our cars. Not only is NG compatible with our current gasoline delivery system (ethanol is not; it requires substantial retooling alll along the supply chain), we have gobs of it right here at home.
Besides: Honda already makes a successful NG gas car; you can buy one in Brazil. It works great.
Shale Oil
You probably have heard about this, but is called 'fracking' in the media. The fear is that it will contaminate the water table.
We have more than 200 years' worth of oil in our very own country locked up in shale. All we have to do is get it.
Drill
For the time being, we have plenty of oil reserves in our country; we do not have to import 60% of our oil, all we have to do is go get it in our own backyard. However, drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, off the West Coast, the Rockies, ANWR, and so forth. The only thing that is stoping us overly paranoid environmental concerns.
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