Our current energy crisis is created by our own misguided policies. The availability of energy is vital to our civilization. Down through the ages, we have always needed one form of energy or another. We had used wood, coal, whale oil, natural gas and now crude oil. In each case, the economics is what drives our energy progression. The next form of energy will emerge when the price of oil rises and the supply declines and a new one will take its place whether it is nuclear or fuel cell or solar. One persistent argument comes from the environmentalist who claims that our fossil fuel usage, mainly oil, has caused havoc to our environment and claims to be the cause of global warming. I totally disagree and you can read my opinion on global warming in another chapter. I'm not advocating destroying our environment or wasting our precious resources but there must be a balance. What is the alternative? Do we want to live like the Indians in complete harmony with nature? Our energy use fuels our technology development. We are able to produce more food and feed more people because of these technologies. One must weigh the good vs. the bad. In our misguided policies recently, we have put our nation at risk. We are now 60% dependant on foreign oil. In ideal global environment, this would not be a problem. That is just part of world trade. However, because we are living in a non-ideal world, we are forced into political alliances mainly because of our energy shortages. What can we do to fix this problem?
There are dual track that we must follow, one short term and one long term.
In the short term:

1. Conserve our energy usage - don't waste.
2. Relax some environmental regulations that forces local special fuel mixes that increase the cost of processing and complicate the distribution process.
3. Provide oversight into the current pricing policies of the big oil companies.
4. Release some of the Strategic oil reserve.
5. Offer special tax incentives for Hybrid cars.
6. Apply pressure to OPEC to keep the price of crude oil in check.

In the long term:

1. Allow for oil exploration within the 50 States.
2. Allow for building of refineries all over the US and preferably not in disaster prone regions.
3. Allow for independent companies to get involved in all aspects of oil production.

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