Conservation vs Drilling

Chris

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May 30, 2008
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The Tire-Gauge Solution: No Joke
Monday, Aug. 04, 2008 By MICHAEL GRUNWALD

How out of touch is Barack Obama? He's so out of touch that he suggested that if all Americans inflated their tires properly and took their cars for regular tune-ups, they could save as much oil as new offshore drilling would produce. Gleeful Republicans have made this their daily talking point; Rush Limbaugh is having a field day; and the Republican National Committee is sending tire gauges labeled "Barack Obama's Energy Plan" to Washington reporters.

But who's really out of touch? The Bush Administration estimates that expanded offshore drilling could increase oil production by 200,000 bbl. per day by 2030. We use about 20 million bbl. per day, so that would meet about 1% of our demand two decades from now. Meanwhile, efficiency experts say that keeping tires inflated can improve gas mileage 3%, and regular maintenance can add another 4%. Many drivers already follow their advice, but if everyone did, we could immediately reduce demand several percentage points. In other words: Obama is right.

Politics ain't beanbag, and Obama has defended himself against worse smears. The real problem with the attacks on his tire-gauge plan is that efforts to improve conservation and efficiency happen to be the best approaches to dealing with the energy crisis — the cheapest, cleanest, quickest and easiest ways to ease our addiction to oil, reduce our pain at the pump and address global warming. It's a pretty simple concept: if our use of fossil fuels is increasing our reliance on Middle Eastern dictators while destroying the planet, maybe we ought to use less.

The RNC is trying to make the tire gauge a symbol of unseriousness, as if only the fatuous believed we could reduce our dependence on foreign oil without doing the bidding of Big Oil. But the tire gauge is really a symbol of a very serious piece of good news: we can use significantly less energy without significantly changing our lifestyle. The energy guru Amory Lovins has shown that investment in "nega-watts" — reduced electricity use through efficiency improvements — is much more cost-effective than investment in new megawatts, and the same is clearly true of nega-barrels. It might not fit the worldviews of right-wingers who deny the existence of global warming and insist that reducing emissions would destroy our economy, or of left-wing Earth-firsters who insist that maintaining our creature comforts would destroy the world, but there's a lot of simple things we can do on the demand side before we start rushing to ratchet up supply.

We can use those twisty carbon fluorescent lightbulbs. We can unplug our televisions, computers and phone chargers when we're not using them. We can seal our windows, install more insulation and adjust our thermostats so that we waste less heat and air-conditioning. We can use more-efficient appliances, build more-efficient homes and drive more-efficient cars, preferably with government assistance. And, yes, we can inflate our tires and tune our engines, as Republican governors Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Charlie Crist of Florida have urged, apparently without consulting the RNC. While we're at it, we can cut down on idling, which can improve fuel economy another 5%, and cut down on speeding and unnecessary acceleration, which can increase mileage as much as 20%.

And that's just the low-hanging fruit. There are other ways to reduce demand for oil — more public transportation, more carpooling, more telecommuting, more recycling, less exurban sprawl, fewer unnecessary car trips, buying less stuff and eating less meat — that would require at least some lifestyle changes. But things like tire gauges can reduce gas bills and carbon emissions now, with little pain and at little cost and without the ecological problems and oil-addiction problems associated with offshore drilling. These are the proverbial win-win-win solutions, reducing the pain of $100 trips to the gas station by reducing trips to the gas station. And Americans are already starting to adopt them, ditching SUVs, buying hybrids, reducing overall gas consumption. It's hard to see why anyone who isn't affiliated with the oil industry would object to them.

Of course, in recent years, the Republican Party has been affiliated with the oil industry. It was the oilman Dick Cheney who dismissed conservation as a mere sign of "personal virtue," not a basis for energy policy. It was the oilman George W. Bush who resisted efforts to regulate carbon emissions. And most congressional Republicans have been even more reliable water carriers for the industry's interests.

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1829354,00.html
 
And Obama is going to FORCE free Americans to do each and every one of his little 'suggestions' how? And I am SO sure he is going to stop private transportation, having vehicles idling while waiting for him to exit an event, unplug every one of his televisions and PC's when not in use, etc.... :rolleyes:

give me a break
 
Meanwhile, efficiency experts say that keeping tires inflated can improve gas mileage 3%, and regular maintenance can add another 4%. Many drivers already follow their advice, but if everyone did, we could immediately reduce demand several percentage points.

If everyone... americans, affected with high gas prices are already doing so, you cant inflate your tires to infinity, every time you want to save another percentage.

We can use those twisty carbon fluorescent lightbulbs. We can unplug our televisions, computers and phone chargers when we're not using them. We can seal our windows, install more insulation and adjust our thermostats so that we waste less heat and air-conditioning. We can use more-efficient appliances, build more-efficient homes and drive more-efficient cars, preferably with government assistance.

All this as alternative to providing americans with more power. Lemme see, whenever demand is higher, instead incrising production, you make people spend less and drive the cost up. Isnt OPEC doing it to us now? Anyways, most of us already use energy saving appliances, trying to save as much we can. All these suggestions could be temporary fix, but american population is adding 2 million people every year, and more people demands more energy. I wouldnt like to live in daily energy blackouts, just because someone refused to let me get what I am paying for. This is America, not a Soviet Union.
 
Ohhhhhh, conservation...

I misread it as conversation vs drilling and I'll always opt for the latter. :D
 
I suspect most Americans are trying their damnest to economize on their energy costs.

The problem is that we are mostly dependent (and habituated) on the systems we have in place from another age when the cost of energy wasn't so dear.

It's going to take most of us some time to change our lifestyles.

It's going to take most of us some time to find the money to invest in that more energy economical lifestyle.

Suggestions like keeping your tires inflated help, of course, but compared to the arterial bleeding of energy that most of us have got to do to keep our houses warm, and the lights on, and to get back and forth to work, that kind of suggestion is mostly just feel good politics.
 
I suspect most Americans are trying their damnest to economize on their energy costs.

The problem is that we are mostly dependent (and habituated) on the systems we have in place from another age when the cost of energy wasn't so dear.

It's going to take most of us some time to change our lifestyles.

It's going to take most of us some time to find the money to invest in that more energy economical lifestyle.

Suggestions like keeping your tires inflated help, of course, but compared to the arterial bleeding of energy that most of us have got to do to keep our houses warm, and the lights on, and to get back and forth to work, that kind of suggestion is mostly just feel good politics.

Hardly.

We waste an enormous amount of energy and conservation has already had an effect on gas prices.

Keep it up, America, screw the oil companies!
 
And Obama is going to FORCE free Americans to do each and every one of his little 'suggestions' how? And I am SO sure he is going to stop private transportation, having vehicles idling while waiting for him to exit an event, unplug every one of his televisions and PC's when not in use, etc.... :rolleyes:

give me a break

Aint apathy grand dickhead.. YOur not being forced to do a damn thing. Nobody is sticking a gun to your head... These are suggestions as a nation to stop giving terrorists our hard earned money. Why do you hate america so?
 
Aint apathy grand dickhead.. YOur not being forced to do a damn thing. Nobody is sticking a gun to your head... These are suggestions as a nation to stop giving terrorists our hard earned money. Why do you hate america so?

So if you are not being forced.. then Obama's little suggestions do nothing... so then he will have to deal with the situation at hand and the need.. and his plans do not cover our energy supply and price needs...

And as stated... you actually think Obama, Gore, etc will follow their own little advise? Not having vehicles idling outside of their events waiting for them? Not having private jet transportation, which is highly inefficient? Unplugging every electronic device in their multiple huge residences?

dickhead

I served my country and love it dearly... I love the fact that we live in a free society based on a constitutional republic.... can you say the same thing?
 
Ohhhhhh, conservation...

I misread it as conversation vs drilling and I'll always opt for the latter. :D
Sure you go right ahead.. have you seen the Olympic atheletes arriving in Bejing with masks on... Masks needed why? Fashiion statement or to protect the lungs from burnt fossil fuels...
 
So if you are not being forced.. then Obama's little suggestions do nothing... so then he will have to deal with the situation at hand and the need.. and his plans do not cover our energy supply and price needs...

And as stated... you actually think Obama, Gore, etc will follow their own little advise? Not having vehicles idling outside of their events waiting for them? Not having private jet transportation, which is highly inefficient? Unplugging every electronic device in their multiple huge residences?

dickhead

I served my country and love it dearly... I love the fact that we live in a free society based on a constitutional republic.... can you say the same thing?

Change is a hard thing aint it... its much easier to sit around saying well I aint gonna do it cause the idea came from those evil democrats, meanwhile your money is bankrolling the next terrorist attack...

That about sizes it up doesnt it... You hate america because those wanting to protect the country are democrats...
 
Change is a hard thing aint it... its much easier to sit around saying well I aint gonna do it cause the idea came from those evil democrats, meanwhile your money is bankrolling the next terrorist attack...

That about sizes it up doesnt it... You hate america because those wanting to protect the country are democrats...

It is true, the most patriotic thing we can do right now is conserve gas.

That is why Obama is a true patriot, and Bush is a POS.
 
I suspect most Americans are trying their damnest to economize on their energy costs.

The problem is that we are mostly dependent (and habituated) on the systems we have in place from another age when the cost of energy wasn't so dear.

It's going to take most of us some time to change our lifestyles.

It's going to take most of us some time to find the money to invest in that more energy economical lifestyle.

Suggestions like keeping your tires inflated help, of course, but compared to the arterial bleeding of energy that most of us have got to do to keep our houses warm, and the lights on, and to get back and forth to work, that kind of suggestion is mostly just feel good politics.

feel good politics? it made the pubs feel good. it was an actual practical step to dealing with gas prices.

when is the last time anyone checked the pressure in their tires?

your initial premise "I suspect most Americans are trying their damnest to economize on their energy costs." is completely contradicted by the your follow up thoughts. "It's going to take most of us some time to change our lifestyles."

honestly i'm loving the sky rocketing energy costs. bourgeois pigs need to wake up.
 
Change is a hard thing aint it... its much easier to sit around saying well I aint gonna do it cause the idea came from those evil democrats, meanwhile your money is bankrolling the next terrorist attack...

That about sizes it up doesnt it... You hate america because those wanting to protect the country are democrats...

Funny... I have used economical cars (including diesel), recycled, etc for years before any and all of this... VOLUNTARILY.. because it was within my rights of freedom to CHOOSE to do so

You are a delusional boob

some Dems honestly do want to protect the country... unfortunately they are in the background behind the uber-leftists, extremists, and socialists that are not about protecting the country in the least... including Obama
 
The old Geos got 55 miles to the gallon.

I don't think the Prius can top that.
 
So if you are not being forced.. then Obama's little suggestions do nothing... so then he will have to deal with the situation at hand and the need.. and his plans do not cover our energy supply and price needs...

And as stated... you actually think Obama, Gore, etc will follow their own little advise? Not having vehicles idling outside of their events waiting for them? Not having private jet transportation, which is highly inefficient? Unplugging every electronic device in their multiple huge residences?

dickhead

I served my country and love it dearly... I love the fact that we live in a free society based on a constitutional republic.... can you say the same thing?

they dont do nothing. if you keep your vehicle maintained and have proper tire pressure, you are paying less for gas because you are using less. and people have the CHOICE to do so. they can be lazy and pay a little more. nowhere did obama say 'i will make everyone conserve.' or if he did i missed it
 
The old Geos got 55 miles to the gallon.

I don't think the Prius can top that.

some got even more than that
The holy grail: 82 mpg in a Geo Metro XFi - MetroMPG.com

and electric cars would get significantly better miles per charge (is that a real term?) if they would cut the horsepower, etc. if car companies brought out the old geo's and similar vehicles again for cheap, that company would sell a ton of them, imo
 

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