NATIONAL ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

The problem as I see it is how to eliminate America's need for foreign sources of energy. That includes Canada since Canada is a foreign country.
Building a pipeline to supply this country with Canadian oil does not contribute to energy independence. Nor does selling oil or natural gas refined in this country to other countries help the U.S. achieve greater energy independence. It simply makes the energy companies richer.

If we stop exporting energy, that would be part of the solution. Another big part of the solution would be to stop wasting energy. Lots of energy gets wasted in this country. Why? Because it's cheap and most people don't know or aren't aware of the harmful effects of producing energy from non-renewable sources such as coal. I have nothing against coal miners. They have served the country's energy needs in times of war and in times of peace. It is not their fault that burning coal releases mercury and sulphur and small particle pollution into the air we breathe and contributes to acid rain which is responsible for the destruction of trees as well as human-made structures.

If less energy was produced from non-renewable sources, human health and the environment would benefit. How to discourage wasting energy from non-renewable sources, thus contributing to energy independence? When gas prices increased past a certain point, consumption of gasoline dramatically decreased. No one likes to feel limited in terms of mobility or how many lights they can afford to burn. But if it is a choice between having to attend to energy conservation or forsake the idea of national energy independence....

The Republicans think they can let you have your pie and eat it too through off-shore drilling and opening up public lands to drilling. Their attitude is eat, drink, and waste energy until all the coal, natural gas and oil are used up. I suppose they think that the rich people will have figured out some other scheme for providing energy for us in return for our hard-earned cash when non-renewable energy is completely used up. I would suggest that the best solution to the problem does not involve ruining the public's national parks and wilderness areas by opening them to drilling nor increased offshore drilling. The best solution does not involve further endangering public health and property from the continued use of coal, natural gas and oil.

Part of the solution involves discouraging the massive waste of energy by businesses, homes and institutions, including government entities. How to do that? Increased taxing of non-renewable energy production and use. Make it expensive enough and people will use less. This would also help to encourage the development and spread of wind, wave, and solar energy by making them more economically feasible. These are sources of renewable energy that can always be depended on and which don't threaten public health nor poison the environment. It would also be helpful for the national government to redirect the subsidies it pays to non-renewable energy companies to renewable energy producers. The increased non-renewable energy taxes could be devoted to paying down the national debt or to mitigating the adverse effects of non-renewable energy use on human health and the environment.

What does anyone think?