State of the Union address touches on "oil addiction."

[Matt Timion]

As rh77 mentioned in another thread:

Originally Posted by rh77

In other news, the State of the Union Address touched on our "addiction to oil". PLEASE do not make this a political discussion, but the focus seems to be shift to Ethanol and a Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicle to be research by the Dept. of Energy, and better hybrid batteries (?). I'm glad it was at least mentioned.

Info can be obtained here:

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2006/2006-02-01-01.asp

While I don't want this to be a political pissing match, I'm certain my bias will appear to be evident. Needless to say, I'll disclose my actual political affiliation at the end of this message so you can determine if you assumptions about me based on my criticisms/support are accurate.

"Since 2001, we have spent nearly $10 billion to develop cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources, and we are on the threshold of incredible advances," said the President, announcing a 22 percent increase in funding for clean energy research to be implemented by the Department of Energy.

Honestly, $10 billion is a drop in the bucket. We will end up spending between 1 and 2 TRILLION dollars on the war in Iraq (source). It appears to me that oil has been the priority from the beginning, but we have sunk most of our money into taking ownership of the oil in Iraq and not developing real alternative energy sources. Imagine what 2 trillion dollars could buy in renewables or research. The government could have purchased a gas electric hybrid for every adult in the US with that much money, and still have more than enough to spare for more research.

To change how automobiles are powered, Bush said, "We will increase our research in better batteries for hybrid and electric cars, and in pollution-free cars that run on hydrogen."

Better batteries are good. Electric cars are good. Hydrogen cars are a waste, IMHO. There is so much energy lost in producing and storing hydrogen that it becomes a lost cause. Fuel cells and transportation of these cells also becomes a huge factor. At least electric cars were addressed, which is the real future of vehicles IMHO.

"We'll also fund additional research in cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol, not just from corn, but from wood chips and stalks, or switch grass. Our goal is to make this new kind of ethanol practical and competitive within six years,"

Good.. good.. Are we going to address the pollution problems with ethanol fuel? As I mentioned in another post, it takes more energy to get ethanol from corn than you get in return. Countries like Brazil benefit from sugar cane which ethanol can be taken from with little effort. I'm not a big fan of technologies that are counter-productive. As it is now, ethanol and hydrogen are two of those technologies. I'm not saying that it won't change as technology advances, but I think we're better off working with the technologies we have right now instead of trying to pull a rabbit out of our hat.

"Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025, he told the legislators and government officials assembled in the House of Representatives chamber.

"By applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy, and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past," said the President.

There lies the problem. I'm unsure if his goal is to remove the "oil addiction" or remove the "foreign oil addiction." It's no secret that Bush comes from a family with high interests in oil. Whatever his motivations are, removing this high dependance on oil (foreign or domestic) is a good thing.

I'm also not sure if our enviroment is the real issue. Anyone who has spent any time in Asia, Mexico, South America, etc. knows that our contribution towards pollution is nothing compared to these other countries. When I lived in the Philippines every car that drove by was beltching black smoke. That's a lot of smoke for a small city with over 20million people in it. And just so you know, within a day naitim and kulangot ko

The solar industry will partner with the Department of Energy on cutting-edge research that will accelerate solar’s development as a mainstream energy resource, Resch said. "We will also partner with the administration to extend the tax credits through 2015 and ensure that the U.S. is the global leader in the next great high tech growth industry, solar energy."

But not all renewable energy proponents were that enthusiastic about the President's plans. A network of U.S. businesses and community organizations called the Sun Day Campaign said President Bush’s State of the Union call for "expanded use of nuclear power and so-called 'clean coal' while simultaneously cutting funds for wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, and energy efficiency programs is continuing the administration’s blind-as-a-bat energy policies that offer no solutions to climate change, energy imports, or rising energy costs."

and...

In fact, Bossong said, "the President is expected to offer a budget request next week for Fiscal Year 2007 that will slash, and possibly eliminate, funding for the U.S. Department of Energy’s core wind, geothermal, hydropower, and concentrating solar accounts as well as make deep cuts in key DOE energy efficiency programs and the sustainable energy programs in other federal agencies."

I'm unsure if Bush's comments were simply lip service or not. After all, I've read 1984... I know that all a politician has to do is say one thing enough and the people will believe that is what they are doing. If Bush talks about renewables while doing nothing about it, he can always point to his State of the Union address and say, "see? I've been talking about this for months now." He essentially will be removing any blame from himself.

One also wonders his motivation when he cuts funding to wind power and geothermal heat, both of which have been shown to be more than effective AND drastically reduce dependance on foreign oil.

Mark said the latest UCS analysis shows that the United States is "sending $500,000 overseas every minute to import oil."

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And my politican affiliation is: Nothing. I dislike most politicians. I don't care if they're republican or democrat. To me they're two different flavors of the same evil ice cream. They both melt under pressure, and more often than not their colors are artificial.