States need to get off their dead rear ends and pass net metering laws which encourage renewable fuels usage and allow for some kind of market based profit.

The price of interconnect equipment is way too high. Perhaps there is an opportunity here to develop or mass produce equipment of lower price.

The net metering laws should address interconnect agreements so that these agreements are not needlessly restrictive or complex.

If there is to be utility deregulation, it must truly be deregulation, not reregulation as is the case in California or Illinois.

If eliminating idling was such good econimics dont you think companies would already do it? There are reasons to idle rather than to stop the engine and the costs of these must be weighed against the fuel used. For instance, stopping and starting the engine puts extra wear and tear on the starter, batteries, and charging system which costs money to fix. Also, the batteries must be recharged which causes the engines to use more fuel. In cold climates, engines left to sit may not start, may have to be warmed up after they are started, or, in the case of diesels, the engine heat must be used to keep the fuel warm so it does not gel.

Bio-diesel? I am all for it and agree on this point.

Economic opportunity? If you mean open an airconditioning business because its going to be warmer, thats economic opportunity. If you mean squander capital on carbon mitigation because the UN says so, this is not good for the economy. It is a hidden tax on the people. It creates jobs yes, but it sucks up wealth to produce nothing. Wealth which could be used discover a new medicine, renewable fuel, or some other thing which improves our lives.

Michael raises some good points, although I dont buy the argument that we need to find solutions before the liberals do it for us. This is like gun control. We will enact a little so the liberals dont enact a lot. The problem is that this recurs and after a time we ended up with a lot of gun control. The same has happened with environmental laws. It was republican presidents who signed the most sweeping environmental laws. But are the liberals happy? No, they want more.

The environmentalist liberals and the UN need to be exposed for what they are, socialists. Their agenda is to transfer our wealth to the third world and our sovereignty to the UN. Passing stupid laws to head them off at the pass will just get us where they want to be, just slower.

You want solutions? I have some ideas.

First, lets waive pollution laws on engines provided that they will use renewable fuels. The cost for small businesses and entrepeneurs to comply with the likes of OBD II are too high.

Second, modify the environmental, DOT, and TSA regulations so that small businesses are exempted or it is made easy enough for them to comply that they dont need to hire compliance consultants and pay tens of thousands of dollars in taxes to get permits.

Instead of government subsidies for ethanol, why not tariff oil imports? This would discourage consumption of foreign oil. Also, the alternative energy industry is too much affected when oil prices crash or government subsidies run out as happened in the 80’s.

Stop any more future regulation of engines or power plants. This just diverts R&D money into regulatory compliance and serves to continue the use of oil.

The problems as defined by the discovery are: What exactly is the cause of global warming; what, if any, will be the impact on our environment; and exactly what can or should be done about it. So, first things first.

The scientific community is still debating the cause, the affect, and the need, if any, to drastically alter the status quo. My personal belief is, and has been for many years, that extracting oil from the earth, which cannot be replaced, would have the same affect as removing oil from an operating engine. Removing lubricant will result in friction, and to no one’s surprise, friction causes over heating.

If the true cause and affect can be scientifically determined honestly, my sincere guess would be we truly need to stop oil production period. But who on this earth would second that opinion?

So, the solution as I see it is, we need to stop looking toward others for help, and instead, each of us, on our own, must take responsibility into our own hands and move toward solar power (or other such alternatives), for heating, cooling, etc. in our homes and daily lives. It’s the first step. Let’s take it. Let us quit waiting for the “experts” and “governments” of the world to do it for us or to tell us what to do for ourselves. After all, we’re conservatives, not liberal Dems dependent on everyone else for our own wellbeing.

And although I was joking around before, painting the parking lots white is not a crazy idea. It will in fact reflect heat as opposed to the earth absorbing it. It’s simple, it’s workable, it’s affordable, and every parking lot in the world will have to be repaved at some point. Meaning, at the same time, light reflecting elements can be placed into the mix. Again, it’s a “first step” toward solutions we the people can take.

Great columns to both Michael and Jim.

Sincerely,
Elaine Lopez

If I get the point of this blog, it is to try and find a path for economically responsible conservatives who give a damn about protecting our environment and who hate being beholden to despots overseas. Good on you TerraRossa. About time we started talking about new ideas, about time we show losers like Gore that it aint only his way or the highway.

Someone much smarter than I said there are no easy solutions to difficult problems. But I can tell you, if we leave it up to liberals to come up with the solutions we will end up with some wierd socialist agenda.

Tell me more about nuclear, tell me why solar hasn’t caught on as much as we were all expecting. Tell me about wind power, or even these new light bulbs. More importantly, lets find a way to use conservation as a wedge issue for these urban dwelling liberals (I don’t know the stats, but I would be willing to bet that blue states generate more pollution than red states).

Maybe we should have an optional box on our tax returns where liberals can choose to pay more tax to protect the environment. Let’s see how many of them actually check that box.

The Global Warming Awareness Organization is looking to spread the word about global warming and its consequences. I was hoping that you and your readers might like to help.

Would you let me know if you would be willing to display our small logo on your website/blog?
We are also looking for contributors of content on our organization’s site: http://www.GlobalWarming.org.in - if you’re interested in contributing a story, we would love it if you could!

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you soon,

Scott
Spread Awareness About Global Warming
Join us at: http://www.GlobalWarming.org.in

There are some pretty simple remedies to soothe the fearful heart if the dread of global warming cannot be relieved by intellectual honesty: We either insist those irresponsible Martians cut down on their CO2 emissions as well, or we paint the entire earth’s parking lots white to reflect the heat at once.

By the way, it snowed in Orlando, Florida this past November, leaving me confused as to who I should believe with respect to global warming. Al Gore or my lying eyes?

Great column,
Elaine Lopez