10 years to Energy Independence

It was a pretty big challenge from the Inconvenient Man. 10 years to Energy Independence, and he’s serious.

Mr. Gore says our “dangerous over-reliance on carbon based fuels” are the core of all our problems. Economic, environmental, and national security issues are all centered around carbon based fuels. He also points out that we got to the moon in 8 years, and that’s a hell of a lot harder than spending a decade putting solar panels, wind turbines, and hydro generators into service.

I have to agree. Yes, it will be expensive, but so were the railroads and the interstate highway system. The thing is, if our government would look to the past to find our future, we’d be better off.

Government programs to implement these things could be modeled after the Hoover Dam and highway projects of days gone yore. Hire the unemployed and underemployed to take on these massive projects. We will simultaneously boost the economy, clean up our air, and reduce dependence on foreign oil. It’s a win-win, if you ask me.

Oh, except for those guys with all the foreign oil. They’ll have to sell it somewhere else I guess.