Empty Pipeline(s) – Empty Heads
We were comfortably energy independent, with a broadly based economy and employment, all rolling forward, pro-America, under the leadership of President Trump. And all effectively clobbered Day One of the ultra-liberal presidency of the Progressive-owned-and-operated Biden administration, with the cancellation of the Canadian-connection Keystone XL pipeline (and others since), a pipeline nearing completion that would have reportedly delivered almost 35-million gallons of additional fresh crude oil to America each day, with no transport diesel fuel expended by normally needed trucks or trains! Just one of the cancellations and other onerous dictatorial D.C. regulations (included inhibiting the ability of oil & gas producers to get mandatory new project bank funding) slapped on America’s true energy suppliers at the behest of those lavender-eyed federal government appointees and their grand-slam-killing-fossil-fuels plan.
And it proved to be just the beginning of the D.C.-based intellectual-hemorrhage movement, as the needs of America’s citizens have taken second place to that continuing swarm of unvetted, then mysteriously-interior-transported (but never deported) illegal migrants, and the seemingly endless other anti-America policies, in general, which continue to abound, take root, and threaten the health, safety, security, economy, and future of our America.
The Progressive plan, as now voiced repeatedly by their spokesperson, Mr. Biden, is to “transition” America totally away from fossil fuel use to an alternative yet to be discovered. In other words, dump fossil fuels and “transition” now to realistically nothing yet available. The definition of insanity must fall into that muddle somewhere.
Oh, but yes, renewables, that’s it. But it isn’t. Depending on unreliable, inefficient, insufficiently power-storable (as yet) solar panels and wind towers is, and will continue to be, foolhardy. No matter how many more acres of farmland we destroy with solar panel construction, or how much more on-shore land is taken up by the bird-slaughtering blades of those wind towers (barely a peep from naturalists), we will never be able to fully compensate for, or be able to transition from, the rational, realistic, responsible, and reliable power generated by oil, natural gas, and yes, though diminishing, coal. Regardless of the green-dipped sugar-plum visions of the Progressive dream weavers (electricity is magic), America will be dependent upon traditional fossil fuels for many, many years to come (or welcome a second stone age without it, as Progressive elites stay warm by rubbing regular citizens together).
The only reliable, realistic, and responsible “renewable” in America today is nuclear, the alternative fuel source that no one wants to talk about within heads-in-the-green-clouds D.C. As of 2001, there were still 93 operating reactors at 55 nuclear power plants in 28 American states (average age: 40-years old). Worldwide, there are said to be 400+ operating reactors. Perhaps surprisingly, heavily coal-generating dependent China reportedly has 228 reactors “in development.”
Nuclear reactors, today, while still expensive to construct (as is everything) can now be built in a more modular size. The problem we face here is that we have ignored nuclear for so long that our expertise, and nuclear-ready employees have become sadly diminished. With incentives, we could gear back up, but it would doubtlessly take some time, not to mention public acceptance in the face of certain and substantial federal and media resistance which overwhelming and blindly favors unreliable sun and wind.
Interesting, in terms of end-of-the-world environmental hand-wringing, is that the Ukraine-Russia war has caused Germany, France, and others to cease getting their regular, necessary supply of Russian oil. Where are these countries turning for a substitute power generating source…..Coal! Why in the world destroy our own traditional fossil fuel power generating capability, and our economy with it, in order to save the world from hyped-up, but in no sense truly proven, massive, man-caused(?) “climate change,” when much of the world is now choosing to burn the allegedly dirtier of the fossil fuel choices – Coal.
Along with Europe, currently re-opening their coal-burning plants, China and India continue to be very heavy users of coal for power generation. Several European nations fell for the renewables lure, only now to be in trouble with the slow-down/cut-off of mainstream Russian oil. And America seems to be romancing other nations for oil (perhaps refined, but dirtier than U.S. oil and gas). How Progressively, not-thinking-headed, foolish. How is using foreign oil any better for our supposed environmental issues than encouraging and using our own cleaner versions? So much lately is smelling more and more like the Socialist dictatorship in our own country that seems to be coming. Decisions about energy, and just about everything else, are being made, it seems, on the basis of elite power and control, with little or no thought as to what just might be best for our citizens, not politicians (and their appointees).
And speaking of clouded Progressive thinking. The only two solutions for the rise in gasoline prices, voiced so far, beyond finger-pointing, seems to be: First: We’re told to simply buy a very expensive EV, assuming you don’t want to drive great distances, since home and, importantly, highway charging stations are still few and far between, literally. There are lots of negatives regarding EV’s beyond just distance, to include the extensive foreign mining required to extract the minerals needed for those large EV batteries, and then the CO2 expended in the manufacture of those batteries. Second pump-price solution from D.C.: Drive less! Yep, the fed’s (with your tax money or by simply printing more) are promising to further aggravate inflation by dumping large sums of your money into electric buses and trains, so you won’t have to drive. And we haven’t even begun to hear about/discuss the negative impact on America’s power grid/power line situation, deemed inadequate for any sudden surge in major EV charging depend (cars, trucks, trains, busses, etc.)
Conveniently inconvenient. Encouraging you not to enjoy the time and freedom that comes with personal vehicle ownership. Enough with your freedom, already. We’ve got an environment to save. So welcome to a future, as political things now stand, of less personal freedom, as more and more power and control are absorbed, on your behalf, of course, by the increasingly-centralized federal government. Still not sounding like the makings of a Socialist dictatorship? Let’s just continue to enjoy our required investment (and sacrifice) in serving the ‘climate change’ regime, while China, India, and Russia (plus many other nations) continue to pollute their corners of the world through their own traditional dependence on fossil fuels, all set to continue for many, many years to come.
Restarting the Keystone XL pipeline construction, and others denied approval (plus restoring those lost jobs) would be a genuine smart step forward, along with removing the destructive regulations on America’s genuine fuel producers, would go a long way to restoring America’s power generating self-sufficiency. Let American ingenuity, expertise, free-enterprise bring our nation back, as it has so many times from past challenges. Hopefully we can get then away from the type of articles forced to be written now by thinking Americans (e.g., Victor David Hanson): “Biden and Oil: Destroy American in Order to Save it.” Or the one by Francis Menton: “A Mostly Wind and Solar Powered Economy is a Dangerous Fantasy.” Warning of coming power black outs, Senator Barrasso (R-WY) suggested: “Instead of buying an electric car (if you live in 28 blackout-potential states), buy an electric generator, you are going to need it,” while referring to the administration as “tone deaf” and “out of touch” on the green-dream power issue.
Anything that impacts the cost of petroleum will have an impact on the cost of making and distributing nearly everything. We are clearly seeing and personally experiencing that, from pumps to groceries, and well beyond. As has been said, petroleum is not our enemy. So it goes without saying, but we will anyway: “American Energy Independence is at Risk with Biden Orders.” Replied Patrick Moore, the co-founder of Greenpeace, who has sense become a critic of the environmental movement(!): “The loss of fracked oil and gas from public lands will mean dependence on more imports.” And the real problem for us: “There is nothing ‘in the pipe’ to make up for a large decrease in oil and gas production.” As of now then, to conclude: Although badly needed, by our fossil fuel dependent nation, regardless, as of this writing, our independent power source ‘pipe’ is considered by those in the know, to be futures hollow!
(U.S. operating nuclear reactors via Google/www.eia.gov); China reactors in development via Google/www.energymonitor.ai); Hanson article via amgreatness.com, VDH, 6-20-22; Menton article via gatestoneinstitute.com, Francis Menton, 4-25-22; Barrasso quote via dailycaller.com, Harold Hutchison, 6-8-22; Moore quote via theepochtimes.com, Bowen Xiao, 2-2-21).