Oct. 22, 2008 — Well, Carter County we are a couple weeks out from an election, the weather is turning cool, and gas is under $3.00 a gallon. Please allow me to interject; don‚t get too excited about the gas prices. Historically, plummeting energy costs are indicative of a suffering economy. After 9/11 I paid 90 cents a gallon at Flying J and I will dare say that the combination of a year old recession, terrorist attacks, and the collapse of Enron contributed greatly to our economic woes that lead into 2002. Here it is 7 years later and we have had financial disasters that make 2001 seem like a cakewalk. I concede that nothing we are going through now is as psychologically damaging as 9/11, but economically today is far worse.

There is a simple solution to most of the problems we are going through today. As we all can agree, our economy is in the toilet, our foreign policy keeps us in corners of the world where people hate us for living, and we are pumping poisons into the air and water that are causing our children to be born with birth defects that have not even been named yet. The solution: a comprehensive „all of the above‰ energy policy. By eliminating our dependence on foreign energy we can fix an overwhelming portion of our problems. First off, we can stop babysitting snotty nosed Middle Eastern leaders who shake our hands in public then funnel money to Al- Qaida. The day we no longer need oil is the day we should close our bases in the Middle East and let them fight it out. Then, when Iran beats its chest and threatens to develop weapons it doesn’t‚t need we proceed to quell its enthusiasm with an iron fist. Our soldiers have a hard enough job helping people realize the dream of democracy. They should not have to be security guards for Exxon as well.

Once we are finished fixing our foreign policy we have saved 300 billion dollars a year in military expenditures and foreign aid we shouldn’t‚t be giving in the first place. Coupled with the 700 billion a year we spend on oil, that is a trillion dollars we can start pouring into developing turbine farms from Texas to North Dakota. The energy from North Dakota alone could power 25% of the country. In a year one single turbine will produce as much energy as 12,000 barrels of oil. I do not see a shortage of wind any time soon so I feel pretty safe betting on wind power. Not to mention the fact that it will take a few million new workers to engineer, build, and operate these wind farms. Wind energy is clean abundant energy with free refills.

The next president should make it their first act of executive prerogative to drill here for oil. We have enough oil here to keep us going until we finish developing alternative means of energy and it is senseless to continue buying crude form our enemies! Since the Exxon Valdez many things have changed. Let‚s be honest, the claims of environmental extremists are greatly exaggerated. Protecting the environment is more important to me than saving 20 cents at the pump, but we can help safeguard spills by implementing a stringent regulation on safety. We have nearly 30 billion barrels under our feet. That is 2.1 trillion dollars at $70.00 a barrel. Keep in mind, in July the price was $145.00 a barrel. So we can very realistically see 4.2 trillion dollars worth of oil right here at home.

Here is where Eastern Kentucky can benefit. Compressed Natural Gas, or CNG, is fairly plentiful in these parts. It is 40% less expensive than gasoline and burns cleaner than any other fossil fuel used to power vehicles. The best part is the availability. If you use natural gas in your home you can fill up your car in your garage or driveway! Anyone with a natural gas line can have a unit installed at their home to fill up overnight. Your gasoline bill is reduced and moved to your heat bill. Not only are you spending less on fuel and being environmentally conscious you are also saving hours of your life normally spent at the gas station. Right now Honda is the only manufacturer of CNG cars, but many existing models can be converted. Carter County could be the home to the first conversion plant in Kentucky. It would produce jobs and would also elicit a great deal of investment capital and development for supporting industries. This is an instance of two birds/one stone.

No one likes to talk about it, but nuclear power is a necessity and the sooner we come to terms with it the better. No one wants a nuclear plant near him or her because of the possible dangers associated with it, but the reality is nuclear power is very safe. We use nuclear power for submarines and I have never read about an epidemic of cancer or other health problems among sailors. There has not been a monumental nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986, which was attributed to a design flaw. We can safely operate the plants and dispose of the spent waste all the while creating almost a million jobs. Nuclear power is vital to our energy independence and it is time we get to work on it.

Clean coal technology will lead to a revival of mining operations in this area. The United States has more coal than Saudi Arabia has oil and we know how to get it. Let me say this; mountain top removal mining needs to stop NOW. It is an unbridled raping of our natural habitat and it disgusts me. We can get to the coal without completely trashing the land on top of it. Once we mine we HAVE to reclaim and do a better job than has been done over the years. By mining the right way it will increase the price of coal a bit, but it is certainly worth it to keep our mountaintops where they belong; on top of the mountains.

In addition to what I have outlined here there are many other developing technologies such as fuel cells which run on hydrogen and produce water as a waste product, electric cars, tidal energy, and many others that can and will contribute a cleaner, cheaper, safer, energy independent America. To achieve this we need a president who will use ALL OF THE BOVE not some of the above. There is only one candidate who has promised to drill on our land and promised nuclear power investment, and even talks about compressed natural gas. His plan will free us of foreign oil sooner and not later as well as create millions of jobs. John McCain is that candidate. Barack Obama will NOT drill here. If you do not believe me just ask Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

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