Well, where have they been? And no, this is not a threat to
Big Oil.
I’ve said this countless times before – the oil industry is
not in the oil and natural gas industry; it is in the energy business. If they don’t know
that, then they should sell to people who do get this primary point.
Energy is energy whether it is in a pipe in liquid form, a gas, or in a conduit with electricity flowing through it. Or a truck with coal
ready for delivery to a furnace complex or smelter, or electric generation
plant. Hopefully the latter are fading away entirely, but still, the source of
energy is a fact. It is not the industry itself. It hasn’t been
for at least a decade, probably two.
What does this mean? It means that energy should be
accumulated in locations from which it can be distributed to users of that
energy. Whether it is oil, gasoline, natural gas, or electricity, it makes
little difference.
Solar, wind, thermal and nuclear energy all have their place
in the energy resource lineup. Oil, natural gas and coal do as well. One hopes
to eliminate coal from this formula unless it can be processed economically and
consumed without polluting. Not a likely outcome, so it should face complete
elimination.
Fracking and other resource processes used to extract energy
from mother earth should be studied for elimination as well. We need to find
energy resources that do not harm the earth in any way. That means pollution of
air, soil and water is eliminated from the energy equation; or subsidence from removal from the earth. Thermal pollution
is another issue that needs studying and controlling.
Clean, sustainable and renewable energy resources are the
primary outcome we need to pursue. Relentlessly. Until it is fully true in our
lives.
Fighting change, technology, and science does little good.
Facts should be the basis of our consideration and decision making process.
Observe how Illinois
legislators bankrupted the state over pension shenanigans. They goofed and
willingly so. Theirs is a criminal act but not likely to be punished. But in
energy discussion and solutions, we need to use fair and just methods relying
on facts and accessible methods to produce energy supplies reliably.
If the oil and gas companies can’t handle this, nationalize
those corporations and put them in better hands for managing the public’s
energy requirements for the coming ten decades. If the oil and gas companies
are on top of their game, then allow them to continue in ownership and
management. But the end results belong to the common good of all people on the
planet, not the owners of these churlish, greedy companies.
I think we need to call a spade a spade in times of duress.
These are such times. And we need to do a better job managing the outcomes of
mankind. Now.
July 18, 2017
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