What can we do to reduce oil dependency?

Question

We depend to much on oil.

Answer 1

Coal and nuclear are the most promising options.  Coal-to-liquid technology can be used as transport fuel and nuclear can displace a lot of oil and gas-fired power plants.

Answer 2

The U.S. is sitting on enough coal to cover the world's energy for over 400 yrs. Synthetic oil is more efficient than ethanol and it's co2 neutral. U.S. companies are ready to start mining and converting that coal to oil now but of course our inefficient government has opted for a stupid ethanol program that's causing food shortages.

Answer 3

We need to move towards conservation. Globally we only have oil to last us 38 years at current energy use levels. Understand this that current levels will not be the same as those 10 years from now. They will increase because as our population grows we will need more energy to sustain it. The Hubbert Curve and Dr. Hubbert's research and data shows that there is hardly any oil left in the United states. We peaked in 1971 and have been going down hill ever since. The world peaked in this decade. The oil in Alaska will last us for 3 days in the US alone, so much for that arguement.

Here are some ideas to move away from oil dependency

- Imediately move towards cars with atleast 50mpg standards by 2010 not by 2040 as our politicians want to think(we wont have any oil left by then).

-In the long run, move towards electric cars run on batteries. Think about it this way, we stop at gas stations to fill up, why not make is so that you stop at a 'car battery station' switch batteries and instead of handing over 80-100 dollars for gas give 30 dollars for a battery change and go on your way. (again this is an idea)

-Live closer to the city, move towards the city not suburbs. This would lead to a smaller route to your work(for most people) and less gas used.

-Carpool.

These are ideas but they will move us towards less oil dependency. It is not a matter of foreign oil dependency, we don't have any oil left so we can only get it from foreign sources. The point is to move away from oil completely.

Answer 4

There is oil to last centuries, and we are sitting on tons of it, in Alaska, in North Dakota and Wyoming, off the shores of both coasts and the Gulf.  All we have to do is start taking it.  Special interests stand in the way.  They stand in the way of nuclear as well, a source of electricity that is proven safe and reliable.

Our economy relies, and always has relied, on GROWTH.  We need energy to continue growing, and no conservation program can save enough to cover growth.  We need more energy.  We have the means.  We lack the will.  We don't need a DROP of foreign oil.

Answer 5

If you are referring to oil in total, we need to remove the bans on finding uranium for fission reactors.  It has been several decades since we have built a fission reactor, it is time we bring back the nuclear age.  Accessible Uranium is very low, if we expand our search for it, removed government bans on nuclear power, and started putting our tax money toward building large power plants, life would be better.  

I personally do not believe we need to reduce our dependency on oil.  We know of enough oil located in our territory and off of our coast to last us for 30 years.  We have reduced our pollution from oil, and increased efficiency since the 1980s (era of the largest amounts of oil burned).  In order to bring prices down the government should encourage more refineries to produce more gasoline and heating oil, larger supply equals lower prices.  All this oil under our feet that we have not even tapped in to yet, plus all the shell oil under the western part of America, even if the rest of the world runs out we will have plenty to keep ourselves going for a very long time.  Long enough to move us to the next era of power.

Sadly solar power is not efficient yet, wind doesn't blow all the time, tidal power does seem promissing but everything in water is going to break down quick and need to be maintaned.  These technologies are improving but are no where near strong enough to replace our current power supplies.