I love the smell of smog in the morning...if only it didn't sting when I inhale...

The AAA is reporting this weekend that the average price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline is at a record high of $1.80, and the summer peak is still six weeks away. That price is still below the inflation-adjusted price of gas in 1981 of $3 or the average price of gas in Europe, but it is evidence of an energy policy that doesn't work and an Administration which owes it soul to big oil.

President Bush's solution for higher oil prices, besides "looking into it," was to invade Iraq and take advantage of all that unused oil, and to drill in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Those "solid at the core" positions keep on coming, don't they.

In Spring 2003, "Veep" Cheney and several other Bush hawks spouted on and on about how after we freed Iraq, we would open up their massive crude oil and natural gas fields and that would pay for the occupation/reconstruction, and it would lower American fossil fuel prices. And they said it would be up and running within nine months. It's 13 months later and less than 500,000 barrels of oil have been sold by Iraq. To put that in perspective, OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) voted to reduce oil production by 1,000,000 barrels a day two weeks ago. Obviously, we can include the Iraqi oil promise with the other Bush Administration "exaggerations" or "miscalculations."

I agree with Conservatives that the United States needs to reduce or eliminate its dependence on foreign fossil fuels. However, conservatives are way off base thinking that drilling in protected wilderness areas is the way to do it. The amount of oil in the ANWR is enough to supply the United State's need for just over 18 months. For the amount it would cost to drill the oil out of ANWR, and the damage it would cause to the wilderness, 18 months worth of oil isn't worth it. We can't just sacrifice natural preserves because it's remote and contains one and-a-half years' worth of oil.

The United State's energy solution must be innovation, not drilling. We need to dramatically increase the amount of electricity that is produced through renewable resources like:

▪Biomass: you burn unused corn and other agricultural products which would help struggling farmers.
▪Solar: both photovoltaic cells (what you think of when you think solar panel) and direct solar radiation (which uses mirrors to reflect sunlight and boil water). Either form of solar energy could be used on every home to provide electricity, hot water and climate control.
▪Wind: although wind energy has been inefficient and under utilized in the past, new technology and turbines produce huge amounts of energy. Less than 3% of the nation's wind potential has been utilized.
▪Waste-to-Energy: you burn garbage in an incinerator. It removes the need for environmentally destructive landfills and produces no air pollution with proper filters and controls.

These are just four of many possible renewable alternatives to fossil fuels in the aspect of energy production. Now, for automobiles, the solution is still innovation, not drilling:

▪Fuel Efficiency: the U.S. must substantially increase the fuel efficiency standards for all vehicles. The technology already exists through hybrid engines and 'smart' fuel injection systems to allow all vehicles, even SUV's and trucks to achieve 80 or more miles-per-gallon full efficiency.
▪Emission Testing: vehicle emission testing should be required for all vehicles. Clean running vehicles produce less pollution and burn less fuel.
▪Fuel Cell technology: The U.S. should mandate all vehicles run off hydrogen fuel cells by 2015. The technology has already been developed, and it would not require a large amount of effort to make it economically prudent. There would be a cost involved with creating the national infrastructure or adaptation of current vehicles, but it would be far less than the cost of buying foreign oil for another 11 years.

Developing and implementing these renewable and clean technologies does have a cost involved, but it is greatly outweighed by the long-term benefit to the United States and the world. Millions of jobs could be created by renewable and clean technologies, and the protection of the environment is critical if we wish to continue living on Earth.

The time has come for the conservatives to face reality and plan for the future of the nation...and as I've said before, the future is innovation, not drilling.