The Pickens Plan

While I was on vacation, I happened to see a commercial from T. Boone Pickens that made me sit up and pay attention. He wants America to stop our dependence on oil. It's called the Pickens Plan.

Normally I'm no fan of T. Boone, as he's as right-wing as they come. But I think it is a sea change when a man who's fortunes have come from oil recognizes that that is a dying industry. He's a businessman first and foremost (a real Texas oil man, not like the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., who has a Harvard MBA, family riches, and still managed to fail in the lucrative Texas oil industry of the 1980's).

The main reason why there has not been a push for alternative energy in this country is that there's been no obvious profit motive. We are, for better or for worse, a capitalist country. If there's money to be made, we'll do it. Otherwise, not so much.

Now, we've had some discussions here at the House of Jello about one issue being "more important" than another. You may think energy is not important, or at the least a rather dull topic. But the truth is, energy affects everything in your life. Look around you right now at the things on your desk made of plastic, paper, or metal. They were manufactured and transported using energy. As was the food on your table, and the clothes on your back.

It's not just about the price of a gallon of gas.

President Bush's idea is a plan to open up more land for drilling for this limited resource (again, showing his inferior business acumen). But our future is not in oil. Pickens is correct in looking to wind and natural gas as alternatives for America. This is a major business opportunity for America, not an energy crisis.

Barack Obama is by far the stronger candidate on the issue of energy. However, I would love to hear him frame the issue in terms of the opportunity it provides rather than the standard line that we should work toward oil independence.

Will either candidate acknowledge the groundbreaking move by a wealthy Texas oil man to "get out" of the business?

About that survey ...

Last week I really started feeling the effects of the $4 gallon gas. I try to do everything I can to use less gas, but sometimes it just doesn't seem like enough. (I suppose the costs of the total overhaul of the bathroom isn't helping much right now, either!). So I started wondering what other folks are doing to cope with expensive gas and the resulting high cost of everything. Nine of you voted, and here's what you said:

• Started carpooling 2 (22%)
• Started taking the bus 1(11%)
• Ride my bike more often 0 (0%
• Sold my SUV 0 (0%)
• More careful to turn off the lights at home 7 (77%)
• Run the AC less often 6 (66%)
• Go out to dinner less often 3 (33%)
• Drive the speed limit now 6 (66%)
• Other 5 (55%)

I'm one of the two who has started carpooling -- I wonder if my carpooling colleague is the other one? I have tried taking the commuter train, but that's a whole 'nother post. A nightmare, and a long one at that. I thought I would ride my bike to the store, etc., but haven't had trips to stores near enough. I do try to combine all trips together, though. Sell my SUV? Does an '89 Toyota wagon with a "Hillary" bumper sticker count? Eh, I didn't think so. Anyway, she's not going anywhere (yeah, and neither's Hillary).

It seems that most of us are being more aware of energy use at home, which is good. Seven of 9 of us say we turn off lights more often -- I bet the remaining 2 already have all the lights off!

We definitely eat out less, and are more aware of prices when we do go out. Any higher priced meal has to be purchased with the understanding that there will be leftovers for more meals. (That's how we justified Indian food last night, anyway. Chicken korma for dinner again!).

What's up with the speed limit? Are the 3 of you who didn't check this one already doing the limit, or do you know a secret to gas mileage that the rest of us don't? Someone must have a secret, because other cars (and SUVs) continue to fly past me on I-95, with no concern for burning the gas.

And 5 of you said you're doing something else. I know from some of your comments that you're combining trips, walking when you can. What else can you pass along that's helping?

image from treehugger.com

$4 a gallon: Is this what it takes to make us change our oil consumin' ways?

I put $20 into my gas tank this morning and watched the needle go "blip." Hardly made a difference at all on the gas gauge (it got me about 5 gallons). With a major bathroom renovation going on, a commute from hell, and the price of everything going up, I'm becoming even more penny-pinching than I ever was.

I've heard a lot of stories in the news about what people are doing, what changes we are making in our lives to save a dime. And it got me to wondering what some of you have been doing to deal with this sudden increase in the cost of living. So please take a minute to answer the poll to the right, and then feel free to leave a comment at this post if you want to tell us more.

Image from savingadvice.com

Fuel efficiency standards: It's a gas, gas gas!

The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed an energy bill that, among other things, would raise fuel efficiency standards for American automobiles for the first time since 1975. You remember 1975, don't you? No? Well, see if you remember what we were driving in 1975:


That's right, it's the 1975 Chrysler Cordoba! I also remember riding around in my friend's 1975 Chevy Nova (although hers was a 2-door model):

So yes, I do believe it might be time to update our fuel efficiency standards. In 1975, the average price of gas was about 59 cents a gallon, which when adjusted for inflation is about $1.70 per gallon. Add to the increased cost of gas the amount of knowledge we now have about climate change and greenhouse gases, and it really is almost unfathomable that auto fuel standards have not changed in 30 years.

It really says a lot about the power of the auto and oil industries.

Not surprisingly, Republican senators have already announced they will filibuster the bill, and President Bush has indicated he will veto it if it makes it to his desk. The two main features of the bill (which are the reasons they are against it): (1) it repeals billions of dollars in oil company tax breaks (yes, the oil companies that are making record profits continue to receive massive tax breaks), and (2) it calls for an increase in auto fuel efficiency standards to an industry average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020.

Please join me in contacting your Senators to tell them you support the energy bill. It's you and me against the oil and auto companies, pal. Tell them it's not 1975 any more ....

Of wall warts and phantom loads

While you're away from your house, electricity is slowly being sucked out through the many seemingly harmless appliances you left plugged in. Actually, the appliance itself doesn't even need to be plugged in: if you left your charger plugged in when you grabbed your cell phone this morning, it's still draining some juice from the outlet.

While one charger may not use much energy, think about all of the appliances in your home that are “off” — except that is, for the LCD clock on the front. It's not off, it's running day and night.

The power these items pull is called “phantom load,” or more derisively “wall warts.”

Before you panic and start unplugging all your appliances, Grist magazine has some helpful suggestions for lightening the phantom load:

Many of us solve this environmental and financial problem by plugging the offenders into a power strip with an on/off switch. When we are through using the appliances on a strip, we turn off the strip, which cuts the electricity to the appliances. Power strips control the electricity coming from the wall, and when they are off, the power is off to the attached equipment. Then, though the evil appliances wish to continue sucking power from the grid, they are thwarted. Trolling on the web will bring you persuasive testimonials from people who shrank their power use this way.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, around 75 percent of the energy used by our home appliances is drawn while we think they are "off." Typical offenders include microwaves, stereo equipment, televisions, chargers for cell phones or iPods and co., and all the computer equipment.

As the price of gas approaches $4 per gallon, investing in a power strip might not be such a bad idea ....