The Road To Passing Energy Legislation (Part IV of IV)

[JimofPennsylvan]

PART FOUR



Section: Four

Some of the other provisions that Congress should put in this compromise bill commensurate with the money being available from the revenue generation part of the bill is as follows. Provisions should be added to raise, extend and expand the $2,500 tax credit for hybrid electric vehicles; use of hybrids do cut and potentially can increase the cut of America’s dependence on foreign oil. Provisions should be added to provide tax credits for carbon dioxide captured from industrial sources and used in “enhanced oil and gas recovery”; it is good public policy for the government to give tax benefits to businesses to rid the atmosphere of carbon dioxide which causes global warming (See H.R. 6384 Sec. 131). Provisions should be added to provide grants, loans and tax breaks to promote cellulosic ethanol refineries; it would be a fantastic boost to America’s economy if America could perfect this technology for America has such plentiful inexpensive cellulosic ethanol feedstock, e.g. Corn stalks, portions of vegetable plants not sold for consumption, switchgrass.

Provisions in this compromise bill should be added to bring about the beginning of the construction of two new nuclear power plants by the end of 2010 (See S. 3126 Sec.222). Environmental concerns alone and almost certain international obligations to come related to reduction of green house gases by America will make it a necessity that America expand the use of nuclear energy, let our government get ahead of the problem, for a change, by developing now within our country the current capacity to build new nuclear power plants. Provisions should be added in the bill to empower the Secretary of Energy to use the economic resources at the Secretary’s disposal to develop nuclear fuel reprocessing or recycling capacity within America, establish rulemaking for licensing of facilities that conduct such nuclear fuel recycling work and block the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from denying applications for new nuclear power plants because of lack of disposal resources within America for disposal of the spent nuclear fuel from the applicant’s nuclear power plant the applicant intends to build (See H.R. 6384 Title V). Provisions should be added to help the power industry deal with the high cost of building new nuclear power plants by establishing a nuclear energy tax credit based on a percentage amount of the money the nuclear project owner spends (See H.R. 6384 Sec. 505).

Provisions should be added to this compromise bill to bring more farm land on line in the U.S. for growing crops to produce ethanol and enabling the Department of Agriculture to stockpile crop feedstock for ethanol refineries so that if the U.S. experiences in the future a drought or some other large scale weather problem which causes America’s yearly crop yields to plummet, America isn’t faced with any large jump in food prices due to ethanol producers competing with food producers over available crop supplies or ethanol supply shortages for U.S. refineries which would cause a high jump in gasoline prices. The latter initiative doesn’t have to be completed next year but it should be put in place in not too many years because it sure seems like governments throughout the world have not figured out how to insure that that there is a plentiful supply of crop commodities for the world’s food and energy needs. On the former issue America has seventy-two number of ethanol refineries in various stages of development, America in the last year has seen food prices dramatically increase in price in part because food producers are competing with bio-fuel producers for crop commodities. It is clearly irresponsible and negligent on the part of Congress and the President for them to fail to take legislative action to insure our government takes steps to bring about more farmland on line to grow feedstock for these ethanol refineries. The provisions of this bill should mandate on the Department of Agriculture that they bring additional farm land on line to grow feedstock for not only the 72 ethanol refineries in development, but all the number built in the last three years and all the ones that will be built in the future as they are being built. One way to achieve this is to give the Agricultural Department the power to give a ten-year tax abatement on all federal taxes for farmers that farm new farm land for ethanol feedstock production, the owners that either sell that new farmland to such a farmer or the owners that lease the new farm land to such a farmer. The provisions of this compromise bill should authorize this tax abatement program and provide for the Agricultural Department to establish a low-cost loan program for these new farm operations to set-up business. The federal government has been walking around like it is in a fog on this food/ethanol competition problem in America and it is going to blow up in its face in years to come resulting in hardship on the American people, the American government has to get out ahead of this problem and do so quickly.

Section Five:

There seems to be a lobbying effort in Washington that wants the Federal government to make a big push to bring on line many “coal to liquid fuel” refineries. This is really unwise for America to take this route to any large degree because currently cost effective technology to reduce pollution to acceptable levels has not been perfected in this area. It is the wiser and more prudent course for America to take to use its precious limited financial resources to steer America on other paths that show more promise in helping America to solve its energy problems.

There seems to be a segment of Americans that wants to see America move to the use of natural gas power to meet its motor vehicle transportation needs. This is a really dumb and alarming idea, America will be making a catastrophic mistake if it pursues this idea. America should not move to use natural gas to power its passenger vehicles and trucks for supply and price concerns. Look at the history of natural gas energy in the U.S. over the last eight years, at times escalating prices and at times supply problems, especially regional ones occurring. Consider how much over the last ten years U.S. manufacturing has moved from the U.S. to foreign countries because of concerns about good, stable pricing and stable supply for natural gas in the U.S.. At this time, America’s national strategy on natural gas should be to primarily seek to have it used in America for electricity generation, manufacturing, and heating for industrial and commercial buildings. However, limited promotion of natural gas as a fuel for public transit, school buses, trash trucks, road pavement trucks and concrete supply truck and the like are a good idea for health reasons because a lot of people are exposed to the fumes of these vehicles and natural gas is less polluting than diesel fuel, the primary currently used fuel. To this end, commensurate with available revenue and need the compromise bill should add provisions providing grants to these vehicle operations to install natural gas pump stations so they can utilize this fuel for their vehicle fleets. Addressing a related topic, for the same reasons the U.S. government should not promote the use of natural gas for America’s fuel needs it should not promote the widespread use of hydrogen for those needs because natural gas is the primary substance from which hydrogen is made in America today.

THE END

 

[editec]

I think ethanol is a mistake, Jim.

Additionally I see no real benefit of turning natural gas into hydogen, mostly because of the loss of potential energy one must accept by doing so.

I didn't see (I think ) the first four of you previous posts, but nice work, anyway.

Getting us to focus on policies, rather than personalities is an excellent move.

Where in PA are you, BTW?