Deceptive Solutions

It was reported in the Wall Street Journal recently that efficient technology exists by which coal can be processed into liquid form. This liquid can then be piped to refineries and processed into gasoline and diesel. The problem with this technology is that it is prohibitively expensive with not enough promise of return on the investment. To combat this problem, there have been proposals introduced in the US Senate for tax incentives to help take the edge off the risk.

There is a bigger problem, though. It is said that there is roughly 41 years of oil, 65 years of natural gas, and 155 years worth of coal left in the world. This high number for coal is part of what is attracting interest in this process. The only "promise" I see in working to make this coal option somehow more attractive is that we can pass off this energy crisis on the future generations without actually dealing with it now but figuring out new ways to spend government money on bad ideas.

We know that renewal sources of energy must be the solution to our energy needs. While supplies are currently abundant, it is clear that there is a limit to how long this abundance will last regardless of what source of fossil fuels we use. And once it's gone, it's gone. Knowing this, why would we work so diligently to think of better ways to consume non-renewable sources when this will only push the problem out by a relatively few years?

Our need for energy will not go away, but our current resources will be gone soon enough. In the meantime, our Congress is very hostile toward the energy industry and is only serious about foreign sources of energy near election times. And the general public is even less concerned once the shock of price increases passes.

We have been "talking" about taking care of our energy needs for over 30 years. Pushing it out another 155 years will not diminish the need to be more aggressive and innovative about finding new - and renewable - sources of energy. It will only ensure that those who complain the loudest about "foreign" oil around election time will be elected and re-elected until the next generation gets stuck with the problem.

What will we care? We'll be dead.