Bleeding Edge

Project Independence  was the energy initiative undertaken by President Nixon back in 1973 at the heart of the OPEC oil price hikes and fuel rationing that caused the imported fossil fuel dependency led economic crash.

It was a time not unlike what we course through today. The Government reacted in a predictable way and the Project Independence was inaugurated amidst Great Fanfare. It’s goal was simple and straightforward: The United States will have to achieve energy independence in order to cast off the shackles of foreign oil imports hampering it’s economic prospects and causing recession after depression followed by more recessions — ad infinitum.

Although its legacies are few today — we see reminders and remnants of that project everywhere included in all of our highways and byways since efficiency and management of fuel savings measures include establishing a 55 mph speed limit on highways, and running lower night time electricity Grid values for industry and businesses.

In that way, Project Independence kick-started a well-known tradition in America of fuel saving measures. Yet we forgot all about it when OPEC relaxed it’s grip on the pump after a few well reasoned discussions on Global Security and Middle Eastern maintenance of the Status Quo.

Still most Presidents since Nixon have been outspoken proponents of Project Independence. In that vein we all follow the rhetoric, thus establishing a terrible tradition of failure to meet our goals and US Energy & security Policy drift.  I’m referring, naturally, to every president since Nixon failing to heed the clarion call for U.S. energy independence.

Energy Independence and US security followed by global security has been the dream. Yet we are still striving more than fourty years on. Hundred of skewed perspectives and electoral promises, as well as Governmental Policy pledges, EPA rule and state regulations, have been broken along this path to perdition…  All dreams of Energy and Security have been trashed by each and every administration included the present day one — for the last four decades.

Maybe it’s time for a rethink. Because in my eyes it is rather unfortunate that amongst all of the most powerful men on Earth , none has been able to accomplish this simple feat. Which causes the eternal question: ” Were is Hercules when You really need him?”

Because if the plan was from the get go to eliminate foreign oil imports — we failed miserably. And since this was the plan all along, we’ve actually failed spectacularly since the 1970s.

But some say that at least we’re making progress.

Right?

After all, the U.S. is poised to become the world’s biggest liquids producer in 2013, averaging 12.1 million barrels per day throughout the year.

For the record, that tops Saudi Arabia by about 300,000 bbls/d and Russia by more than 1.5 million b/d.

Still, I feel inclined to point out the single biggest mistake our leaders make — that is falling for the political boast that the U.S. is flush with cheap, abundant fossil fuel sources of energy…

I don’t blame our President, the Administration, the State dept., all his White House advisors and even Defence and all their legions of savvy people falling for this myth. And I don’t blame seasoned Investors falling for this too.  Am certain even you Mr President will find this hard to believe…

While the latter part of this Beltway rhetoric rings true, it’s far too misleading in its entirety.
Although every president since Nixon will be quick to extol the progress made toward U.S. energy independence, not one is willing to talk about the costs of trying to achieve it and still not getting there.

The oil and gas boom we’re currently enjoying is a perfect example. Shale gas and fracking wells for oil and gas are the most expensive oil prospects we have ever seen. They can only be compared to Tar Sands for costs of extraction, water usage, and loss of ecosystems as well as for generating pollution, and environmental disasters.

Still in the US not many care when we speak of the actual costs of this disaster. Because being hailed as the world’s top fossil fuels producer may look astounding on paper — those 12.1 million barrels of fossil fuel liquids, produced domestically in the US per day come with a terrible Economic and Environmental Loss…

That the figures do not includes the terribly high economic costs levied against out long term security by irreparably damaging our water supply and polluting both the ground water and the irreplaceable mineral water, and reducing our habitat to a lunar landscape has to be considered seriously.

That the figure boasting Energy security and independence by being number one does not include the hurt to our communities and the loss of human rights of our fellow citizens is not included — is a crime against our Democracy — has to be considered.

And lastly, let’s keep in mind that this figure does not take into account the need of our Citizens to Live with clean water, adequate nourishing healthy food, and clean breathable air — and that is a simple mass crime against humanity.

Yours,
Pano

PS:

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not trying to discount our crude oil production, which increased to over 7.4 million barrels per day in July of this year.

I’m merely pointing to the elephant in the room that nobody seems to want to discuss: the added costs attached to this new supply.

But I’ll let the Energy Information Administration show you exactly how much more we’re paying for it… as compared to renewable Solar and Wind Energy sources.

Because what was considered a last resort by every government, by every Power and Utility company, and by every oil and gas company in the world, is the one Energy Security Option that would only be targeted if all other options were exhausted…

And yet that is the ONE OPTION we need to be following nowadays, because there’s a lot more on the line than in 1973 and we simply cannot afford an Oil and Gas bubble blow up, nor can we withstand the resultant Economic Crash.

It i high time we shifted fully towards Renewable Clean Solar and Wind Energy.

That is the only viable economic option for Energy Security of these United States and we need to focus all of our attention and Development efforts on this ONE OPTION.

We’ve got to do this as if we are on a war footing.

Time to tart addressing the next giant looming economic crisis: The Fossil Fuel Bubble that is facing us squarely and is threatening our Prosperity and nascent Economic growth.

We should address this wholesale as a War Effort, no less. War against the coming explosion of the fossil fuel bubble. War against looming economic depression caused by our attention to the false Gods of Fossil Fuel Energy Security, because this is an oxymoron. There can be no National Security, and no Energy Security based on Fossil Fuels. Insecurity is all there is. Both short term and long term….