Bob Brinker Nails It

Yesterday (and today) on Bob Brinker's "Money Talk" programme, he mentioned using natural gas to power all Government vehicles.

This is all Government vehicles at all levels, Federal, State, and County, and local. As stated, this is all vehicles including law enforcement, probation officers, dog catchers, the Postal Service, snow plows, State Police ... all vehicles. I'm emphasising all because I know I'm going to get a question sooner or later about "what about this type of government vehicle?" If it's a government vehicle, the answer is yes.

Mr Brinker's plan has a few good things going for it. First, if the government got off its behind and actually did this (and yes, it could be phased in over time) it would save us from having to purchase a million barrels of oil per day.

According to the best recent estimates we (the US) are importing between 12 and 13 million barrels of oil a day. Mr Brinker called some of those countries that aren't friendly to us "...oil blackmailers..."

How many times have I written on this blog about the need to get off of foreign oil? The countries that we get oil from know that they have us by the gonads. They know it. They could decide tomorrow to stop selling oil to us. Granted, from their point of view that would be akin to shooting themselves in both feet, but it sure would cripple us wouldn't it?

Crude oil prices in the US would soar, as would petrol (gas) prices. Lines could easily form at the pumps and riots could easily break out. It would make the Arab Oil Embargo seem like child's play. If Mr Brinker's estimates are correct (and assuming $50US per barrel) not importing a million barrels per day would be a savings of $50,000,000 per day.

Assuming 365 days a year, that would be 365,000,000 barrels of oil in a year. Assuming $50 per barrel and we end up with a savings of $18,250,000,000 per year. That's $18.2 BILLION dollars.

Using domestic natural gas would deprive hostile foreign governments of $18.2 BILLION of our dollars. I guarantee you that that would make them sit up and take notice. I also guarantee you that they would soften their hardline rhetoric towards us. I guarantee you.

We could use that money right here at home to improve infrastructure or pay for other programs. So that's the first good thing; it would save us from importing a million barrels of oil and day and would save us $18.2 BILLION in a year.

The next good thing about Mr Brinker's plan is that it would cut C02 emissions by half for each vehicle. While it is true that combustion of natural gas also creates carbon dioxide, it only produces half of the emissions as using petrol does. Assuming one million government vehicles, that's a noticeable impact. While that estimate is low, it should make a point. If the government could do it so could the private sector, and then the "oil blackmailers" would lose yet more of our money. I guarantee that their rhetoric towards us would soften. They would know that they don't have the oil club to beat us over the head with anymore.

The THIRD good thing about Mr Brinker's plan is that it would create jobs right here at home.

To be fair, however, there are some disadvantages to Mr Brinker's plan.

The first would the "Not in my backyard syndrome" or NIMBY. I guarantee that just as we see with wind generators or solar panels, somebody somewhere would say "WOAH! I agree we need to get off of oil, but you're not building that here! Not in my backyard!"

The second would be the fact that although C02 emissions would be cut in half per vehicle converted, there would still be emissions. We need to get off of combustion, as both natural gas and gasoline (petrol) create C02 when they burn. Granted that mankind is not the sole source for global warming, but we still make a difference. Here's the link for when I wrote about the global warming hysteria and according to some people "propaganda." http://gregb1967.blogspot.com/2008/10/article-mit-scientists-baffled-by.html

And third, Mr Brinker's plan is a stop-gap ... at best. While we do have massive natural gas reserves, they will run out sooner or later. (And this is assuming that the theory of abiotic oil is bunk ... and that remains an open question.)

If we can make cold or even hot fusion work, it would end the oil problem ... for good. So would solving the nuclear waste problem. France is using quite a bit more nuclear reactors than we are and they seem to have no problems. So those who are complaining about nuclear power have only to look as far as France for a solution.

Having said that, some of their reactors are breeder reactors* and those use 20% enriched uranium. Add to that that they are more unstable than "conventional" reactors.

But we can do it. We can solve the problem and we can get off foreign oil. The question is, do we have the willpower to do it?

* - breeder reactor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeder_Reactor (Source: Dr. Michio Kaku on Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell on 15-DEC-2003.)

(H/T: Bob Brinker, Wikipedia, Dr. Michio Kaku, Coast to Coast AM)