“Foreign Oil? Who Needs It!”

This Friday’s front page indicates it’s likely the US produced 81% of its energy needs last year. Of course demand has been lower, but for the first time in years it’s possible we have a real shot at energy independence, which would radically change the way we look at the world, specifically the Middle East.

What more can we do? For starters, we can realize that phase four of the Keystone pipeline is not an environmental threat to the Ogallala Aquifer- already crisscrossed by 25,000 miles of pipeline, when compared to the existing massive spiderweb of oil pipelines buried in the Louisiana wetlands and Gulf of Mexico. Next, it’s time we seriously consider T. Boone Pickens' idea of converting our trucking industry to natural gas. As an environmentalist, I would love to see less sulfur-rich diesel soot being belched on our highways. The trucking industry- if offered incentives and provided with the needed infrastructure to fuel up on liquefied natural gas- has made it clear they would embrace the alternative fuel. Furthermore, converting truck stops to dual-fuel would create thousands and thousands of jobs and help kick start the economy.

The money we spend converting our trucking industry to natural gas will reduce pollution, help the economy, and improve up our national security. Five years ago, the thought of 100% energy independence seemed laughable, but at 81%, the only question now is this: do our leaders have the vision to finish what Jimmy Carter started when he created the Department of Energy in the fall of 1977?