Thanks Obama! What a wonderful two years of hope and change we've enjoyed. :dis: Hopefully the next president will have a clue.
Regulation can't be hyjacked to be so tight that permits are unobtainable. The cost of the regulations can be made so high that no company will want to drill. I wish we could run a 300 hp auto for 24 hours on a 10$ charge. That would be perfect. That isn't the case now. While we wait for the technology to get where we need it for this let's produce all we can and make every new auto a hybred.
The only reason for regulation should be to prevent the oil companies from taking shortcuts that could potentially harm the environment, and protect their employees.
They are regulated now, spills happen, it is the nature of the beast. However, they don’t happen often and what matters is how you handle the cleanup. IMO the clean up was handled very well (though the plugging operations had the sucks), there is no reason why we shouldn't be drilling and using our own resources. Actually, it makes more sense to provide better public transportation in cities to cut down on everyday usage then making all vehicles a “hybred”…by the way, those batteries in the hybreds are pretty bad for the environment. So is those stupid cork screw light bulbs.
I drive 40 miles to work daily. Lots of people need to drive and public transport is not an option. My hemi gets 12 miles to the gallon. I would love to have the same power and 40 mpg. If we can put a man on the moon and build stealth bombers why can't we do this? Our technology in other areas seem to have eclipsed that of our auto engines. Four dollar a gallon gas should be no big deal because we should be getting fifty miles to the gallon with v8 power by now.
Cat...if you bought a car that gets 12 miles per gallon knowing you drive 40 miles a day to work, I have NO pity for you and the amount you pay for gas a month. That is just poor life planning. When I was a commuter, I purchased a 4 cylinder Altima that got 32-34 miles a gallon. Now since I can walk to work, I have a V6 truck (need it for kayaking/camping and stuff) you buy a car based on your life and your needs. You should of gone with a mini cooper like my buddy that commutes 40 miles a day.
This is my point. Innovation is driven by need. The higher the price of oil goes the greater demand for alternative fuels and higher efficiency motors. Like KyleK said earlier, if gas goes up a buck and half than that really only translates to ~800 a year for the average person. Thats not enough to warrant the premiums and trade-offs associated with hybrid/nat gas/electric technologies. That 40 mpg hemi might be possible but cost billions to develop. To recoup all dev cost they would need to charge say 80k for a comparable pickup with the 40mpg hemi. Very few are going to pay 30k-40k more for the exact same truck just because gas is up a dollar. But if gas goes up $10 then many will. That means more money spent on R&D to develop new technologies.
yeah, seriously! last time i commuted, i had two vehicles, a toyota that got a zillion miles to the gallon, and a motorcycle. i vastly preferred the bike and only used the car in bad weather. also i lived just 2 miles from work. my gas bill was like 50 cents a year. we need to stop asking for the world to change around us and change ourselves instead.
This marks the second time you have made me chuckle. This marks the second time I agree with you....it is not practical for everyone to have a bike, but it is ridiculous to buy a car that burns gas like I blow out farts and then complain that she system is screwing you. I live in a small town, almost everyone I know commutes, BUT C’MON MAN…they don't all pimp a V8 on their commute, although they may have one for their weekend rollin Personal Responsibility...PERSONAL F"ING RESPONSIBILITY
