It is inexcusable that there has been no Manhattan Project for another energy source. Every day the sun pours down billions of times more energy that we could possibly use and in the process generates dozens of other potential energies (wave, tidal, wind, bio and so on)That man has ignored these obvious if more difficult sources, preferring to foul his own home with petroleum is shameful.

Posted by jason | June 24, 2008 12:23 AM

People who think full energy independence for the US is possible don't realize the serious consequences and responsibilities that would come with it. It's like people that only want to buy US made products but still want to buy at cheap mass retailers. It is impossible for the US to be fully independent on energy without vastly increasing our cost of living.

Posted by KM | June 24, 2008 10:20 AM

Though it is desirable I think it is not possible to have full energy independence.
Living in a world going global by every hour I think it is imperative that we have to cooperate with other countries. Energy independence can be achieved or made possible if countries cooperatively come up with alternative energy harvesting methods to use in their respective countries.

Posted by AG | June 24, 2008 4:58 PM

It's a relief to see intelligent optimism. the futures is OURS

Posted by Daveo | July 15, 2008 2:35 AM

AG has it right on. Everyone will learn faster by cooperating.

Posted by Mary | July 15, 2008 10:45 AM

Some countries have more energy (oil) than they can possibly use. We should buy what we can use. However we should definitely develop and search for alternate energy sources. I mean seriously!

Posted by Like It Is | July 18, 2008 1:24 AM

The United States of America is addicted to foreign oil. It’s an addiction that threatens our economy, our environment and our national security. It touches every part of our daily lives
and ties our hands as a nation and a people.
This addiction has worsened for decades and has now reached a point of crisis.
In 1970, we imported 24% of our oil.
Today it’s nearly 70% and growing
As imports grow and world prices rise, the amount of money we send to foreign nations every
year is soaring. At current oil prices, we will send $700 billion dollars out of the country this
year alone — that’s four times the annual cost of the Iraq war. Projected over the next 10 years the cost will be $10 trillion — it will be the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind.
America uses a lot of oil. Every day 85 million barrels of oil are produced around the world.
And 21 million of those are used here in the United States. That’s 25% of the world’s oil demand. Used by just 4% of the world’s population.
Can’t we just produce more oil?
NO! The simple truth is that cheap and easy oil is gone. Economically viable domestic energy sources such as wind, solar, biofuels, nuclear and natural gas are our only way out of this crisis.
Studies from around the world show that the Great Plains states are home to the greatest wind energy potential in the world — by far.
The Department of Energy reports that 20% of America’s electricity can come from wind. North Dakota alone has the potential to provide power for more than a quarter of the country.
Today’s wind turbines stand up to 410 feet tall, with blades that stretch 148 feet in length. The blades collect the wind’s kinetic energy. In one year, a 3-megawatt wind turbine produces as much energy as 12,000 barrels of imported oil.
Wind power currently accounts for 48 billion kWh of electricity a year in the United States — enough to serve more than 4.5 million households. That is still only about 1% of current demand, but the potential of wind is much greater. A 2005 Stanford University study found that there is enough wind power worldwide to satisfy global demand 7 times over — even if only 20% of wind power could be captured. The nation of Brazil saw the pitfalls on dependence on foreign oil in the mid seventies and put in place a national energy policy of independence from foreign oil. They have successfully used biofuels to achieve this. Now I am certain that if Brazil can achieve energy independence so can we in the USA.

Posted by Lynnn Maynard | July 24, 2008 4:02 AM