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I’m from Texas, so when T. Boone Pickens begins talking about our need to find alternative energy, I listen. T. Boone Pickens is a name synonomous with oil. He was one of the first independent oilmen to build his oil empire on aquisitions rather than complete dependence on exploration.

According to Wikipedia….

Pickens has begun speaking out on the issue of peak oil, claiming that world oil production is about to enter a period of irrevocable decline. He has called for the construction of more nuclear power plants, the use of natural gas to power the country’s transportation systems, and the promotion of alternative energy. Pickens’ involvement with the natural gas fueling campaign is long-running. He formed Pickens Fuel Corp. in 1997 and began touting natural gas as the best vehicular fuel alternative because it’s a domestic resource that, among many advantages, is clean (Natural Gas Vehicles or NGVs emit up to 30% less pollution than gasoline or diesel vehicles) and reduces foreign oil consumption. Reincorporated as Clean Energy in 2001, the company now owns and operates natural gas fueling stations from British Columbia to the Mexican border.

Now, this push toward alternative energy and reduced dependence on foreign oil may boost his bottom line,  but I think that his powerful message will be heard around the world.
Commercials, banners, and more information can be found at PickensPlan.

There are also several videos located at YouTube as well.

Last night after dinner, our favorite restaurant owner and I were talking about the price of fuel and its effects on his industry. He mentioned that he did not understand why gasoline was so much cheaper in Mexico, stating that it was only $2.50 per gallon. I thought maybe he was just  misinformed, because I thought the fuel economy was a global thing….well except for oil rich nations that shall remain unnamed. After searching a bit, I see current fuel prices somewhere around $3.50 a gallon. (I am quoting USD here, so we can get past the math.) Several sources mentioned that fuel was about a dollar less a gallon in Mexico than here in the United States. After reading around, I discover that their fuel is government subsidized/controlled. Hmmmmm.

In my search, I also found an interesting blog written by a trucker in Mexico, who has written an article, Go South for Cheap Gas?

In an earlier post, I wrote a bit about a movement toward 4 day work week to cut energy costs, but mostly to offset the expense of working a 40 hour week over a five day week. 

So maybe others will follow suit with Utah….

Utah is Going to a 4-Day Work Week to Save Energy

SALT LAKE CITY - Starting next month, it will be “TGIT” for Utah state employees. As in: “Thank God It’s Thursday.”

In a yearlong experiment aimed at reducing the state’s energy costs and commuters’ gasoline expenses, Utah is about to become the first state to switch to a four-day workweek for thousands of government employees.

They will put in 10-hour days, Monday through Thursday, and have Fridays off, freeing them to golf, shop, spend time with the kids or do anything else that strikes their fancy. They will get paid the same as before.

“One of the jokes is that one of the biggest benefits will be for golf courses,” said Ryan Walker, 49, an information technology director. He said he is looking forward to tackling items on his long-neglected “honey-do” list (As in: “Honey, do this” and “Honey, do that”); camping; and traveling more around the state.

The order issued by Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman will affect about 17,000 out of 24,000 executive-branch employees. It will not cover state police officers, prison guards or employees of the courts or Utah’s public universities. Also, state-run liquor stores will stay open on Fridays.

Remainder of story here.

Citing Need for Assessments, U.S. Freezes Solar Energy Projects

Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun, via Reuters

Mirrors channel sunlight onto a tube filled with oil at a solar power plant in Boulder City, Nev. The plant produces energy to power about 14,000 homes.

By DAN FROSCH

Published: June 27, 2008

DENVER — Faced with a surge in the number of proposed solar power plants, the federal government has placed a moratorium on new solar projects on public land until it studies their environmental impact, which is expected to take about two years.

The Bureau of Land Management says an extensive environmental study is needed to determine how large solar plants might affect millions of acres it oversees in six Western states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

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You may have to register with the New York Times to finish reading the article, but it is free and the article is worth reading.

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Brought to us by Peak Moment

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Stocks Tumble as More Bad Economic News Piles Up

NEW YORK - Wall Street plunged Thursday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down to their lowest point in nearly two years as investors contended with a barrage of bad news: a surge in oil prices past $140 a barrel and warnings of trouble in the key financial, automotive and high-tech industries.

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Oil Jumps Above $140 on OPEC, Libya Comments

NEW YORK - Oil futures shot above $140 Thursday after OPEC’s president said crude prices could rise well above $150 a barrel this year and Libya said it may cut oil production. The advance raised the likelihood that gasoline prices would also extend their advance, and that prices of goods and services throughout the economy would also keep rising.

Light, sweet crude crossed the $140 level minutes before the New York Mercantile Exchange closed Thursday, then retreated slightly to settle up $5.09 at a record $139.64. In after-hours electronic trading, prices rose as high as a record $140.39.

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Take a look at this article….

$7-a-gallon gas, 10-million fewer cars: Rubin

MATTHEW TREVISAN

Globe and Mail Update

June 26, 2008 at 1:47 PM EDT

A new forecast calls for gasoline prices to hit $7 (U.S.) a gallon in the next two years and oil to soar to $200 a barrel by 2010.

The report by CIBC World Markets also predicts there will be 10 million fewer cars on the road in the United States by 2012.

“Over the next four years, we are likely to witness the greatest mass exodus of vehicles off America’s highways in history,” Jeffrey Rubin, the lead author, wrote in Thursday’s report.

Economist Benjamin Tal, who co-authored the report with Mr. Rubin, said Canadians can expect to pay about $1.85 to $2.00 per litre of gas at the pumps by 2010.

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After reading this news article and letting out an OMG!, I visited Our Friendly Earth again to read Joy’s post, The Price of Gas and Public Transit.  So here’s another dilemma….how are all those people who have to give up their vehicles going to get around? As Joy pointed out, in Kansas City the public transit system is woefully lacking. In addition, what about rural Americans? At present, most small towns can not support the employment needs of their population, which demands the breadwinners to drive to larger communities. What are they going to do?

Yesterday I had some pretty devastating financial news that has me questioning my two year haitus from teaching. We had planned for me to be a SAHM until DD graduates next year, however because of one little…itsy, teensy letter (well actually it was several pages thick) that I received yesterday…those plans may have to change.

So today, I find this article….and…the neighbors could have heard my OMG! What the heck will I do if THIS happens? two streets over. 

A quick, in my head, calculation gave me a rough estimate of what it would cost me to drive to work every day….close to $27 a day! As a substitute that would be almost 1/2 of my daily net pay…as a full time teacher…about 1/3. How in the world is that going to work? Okay…I realize it is not THAT bad for ME…I will at least have some amount of money left over after stopping at the pump…and unfortunately be netting less than minimum wage….but again (tell me if this gets old here)….how in the sam-hill are younger families, minimum wage earners, the elderly on fixed incomes going to survive this?

My thought is the rural areas will suffer greatly with population declines. The Ghosts Towns of the Old West will now have competition from every state. People are going to have to move where they can find employment and be able to either walk or take public transit. So there’s a new dilemma. Kansas City cannot not be the only large city with deficient public transportation. Will the cities be able to handle the influx of new residents?

When I was much younger, and before I actually understood the ramifications of public administration, I lived in a suburban city of Dallas, Texas. Public transit was on the ballot for our city. Proponents wanted to offer public transportation from the bedroom community to the inner city, however, those opposed argued that public transportation would bring poverty, thus crime to the area as well as raise the sales taxes. I believe that suburban city still does not offer public transportation (outside of a taxi). So what is suburbia going to do?

What are we ALL going to do?

Today I had a great comment on my $4 Gasoline post by Joy at Joy’s Victory Garden and Our Friendly Earth, that got me to pondering an issue that I have addressed here before. With the inevitable $4 gasoline, and the possibility of the rising cost not taking a downward turn anytime soon, what are average Americans going to do? Choices will be made…choices born out of fear and exasperation.

My concern with $5 gasoline is that people will have to choose between buying a gallon of milk or loaf of bread and buying a gallon of gasoline. Without fuel, people will not be able to afford to drive to work. If a person doesn’t work, then what? There are assistance programs, but I am certain it is not enough.

DH drives 36 miles round trip for work everyday. He drives an older vehicle with terrible fuel economy…but that is our only choice at the moment. Just cipherin’ in my head, I come up with a monthly expenditure of around $200 for him to drive back and forth to work. It is not proper form to tell you what percentage of his net income that actually respresents, but let’s just say….I would much rather that be going into a college savings fund instead pouring out into the environment. There is no choice for us for now, we will keep paying the amount, whatever it is, so that DH can earn his paycheck.

What about other’s who do not have other resources to offset this enormous budget buster? For a minimum wage employee, almost one hour work will pay for a gallon of gasoline. I am thinking that most minimum wage workers drive older less fuel efficient vehicles. Using the same scenario as DH’s, except on minimum wage, the percentage of net income spent on fuel is approximately 25%, a percentage that was once reserved for the most important issue of your budget…housing. Rising fuel costs added to a fixed rent figure could skyrocket to a 60-70% of a minimum wage earners net salary. So that puts us at 85-90% of salary….hmmmm….what about child care (I am thankful I do not have to worry about this expense), medical, and ummmm…let’s say FOOD? There’s another hit below the belt. Milk is as much as gasoline and bread/eggs not to far from it.

I am not an economist….and there is much I do not understand about inflation, recession, supply and demand, but one thing that I recognize with our current situation and where it is headed is that we are in deep stuff here. I think I could ramble on and on here with what ifs. It seems…and I realize that I will most likely be corrected in the comments section….that we have a full viscious cycle building larger and larger….like a thunderhead in the distance. If people are put into a position of making choices of whether to purchase gas to drive to work, or to feed a hungry family, what will that choice be and what are the ramifications of the choice? No work? No paycheck! No paycheck? No food or housing! Then what? Subsidies are available, but will they continue if a the need becomes greater? Certain jobs are filled with minimum wage workers (right or wrong) that will otherwise not be filled by anyone else. What will happen if the need for employees is not met? What if, what if?

I don’t know the answer. Do you? One thing I do know, it that I am watching the lightning strikes…..1….2….3…..and counting the moments…1…..2…..before I hear the thunder…..1……and I believe it to be a prudent time to take cover! There is a different kind of storm a-comin’!

For a very long time now, I have been trying to get our backyard hard-scaped with a privacy fence, a concrete patio, and a walkway to the alley. It seems as though so many other things get in the way. Last week I think I wrote about having a date set to finally get my patio poured. Well, guess what? It’s not done. With the threats of a week worth of severe storms and rain, we thought it best to put it off…yet again.

I am not certain, but I think we may have a break from anything severe for today. Today’s weather is my favorite for camping…cool, cloudy and overcast. The dampness makes me crave a campfire. Last night after the last storm passed through, DH and I simultaneously looked up at the sky and said, “Man, this would be a great night for camping.” Knowing that wasn’t the prudent thing to do, we thought about just laying out on the trampoline to watch the stars and the satellites pass over. I mentioned that we could go “camping” in our backyard like we used to when the kids were younger.

My dream for my backyard is for a place in which we would want to spend time…..a place for reflection…for entertaining or a breath of fresh air.  Money is always tight, but we generally get away to somewhere every year…even if it just over to Meade State Park for a weekend of camping and fishing. This year, I am afraid that the only “vacation” away from home will be associated with DD’s travels and it will be frugal, no frills travel to say the least. The gasoline budget will be eating up any of the entertainment dollars we might have had. To me, this makes my dream for my backyard retreat even more important.

On Path to Freedom’s Journal today, there is a post about Staycations and Staying Closer to Home. Staycations are vacations spent at home enjoy what it has to offer. That is what we are planning for this year’s “getaway”. We will getaway to our backyard. Tonight I will set the date with DH. All hard-scape will be finished, so as to not make it a working vacation. I am looking for a relaxing, maybe romantic few days of togetherness. I found the Top 10 Staycation Strategies at about.com and plan to put some in place.

What would your strategies be for planning a Backyard Staycation?

Check this out! An Indiana man is drilling oil in his backyard.

Back Yard Oil Rig

I have just been introduced to a new blog…well, new to me anyways….at Wisdom of the Trowel. There, I found an entry about an article for which I had been searching for a few days now. An opinion piece entitled, Civilization’s Last Chance, in the New York Times discusses humanity’s never-ending belief that there will always be second chances and “do-overs” when it comes to our ecological environment. Filled with metaphors, this article offers a grim look at a future headed for disaster if emissions are not limited quickly.

 I would like to send a special thank you to Lewru for posting the article along with the link. I had seen several blogs discuss the article without giving credit to Bill McKibben or the New York Times.

My friend, Anita, at Prairie Dreams blogged about Gas Prices today.  The more I thought about $130 a barrel fuel…the angrier I became. I began to leave a comment, which began to turn into a pretty long comment, so I thought in all fairness to Anita I should move my overloaded mouth to my own blog.

This is an official RANT happening before your very eyes folks!  And as with most of my rants, my thoughts usually flop out on the screen in huge messy chunks…so I apologize up front for any randomness or incoherent moments.

Fuel is expected to skyrocket in June. WHAT? What the #&@! is it doing now?  I cannot imbed this video, but you can go to Chicago NBC NEWS to watch a video clip about $4.39 fuel or this clip about People Expressing Anger.  They use some of the same footage in both. $4.39 is not even the highest per gallon found in Chicago.

The Capital Group reports that Goldman Sachs predicts $200 barrel oil in 2008.

One of the videos states we should brace ourselves for a rise in prices during peak summer driving times.

How can we, the average people, make a difference in what is happening all across our nation? Some of us, out of necessity, are making individual differences in how we are surviving this crisis. On Prairie Dreams Blog, some of the comments note that people are being more conscientious about combining trips and try to cut down on unneccesary travel.

These fuel prices are not only affecting the pumps, but we see it in our grocery bills as well. I was in stunned in disbelief when 18 ct. eggs jumped over an dollar in the matter of a month. Milk at over $4 a gallon even at the large grocery chains. What can we do? Everyday people are making life decisions…do I buy milk and bread for the table or do I put fuel in the tank? There should be some law stating people should not be put in the position to make these kinds of decisions. Okay,okay, I know that there are many people who have had to make these types of decisions since the beginning of time, but come on! This is ridiculous!

I wonder what would happen if a large portion of U.S. citizens just decided NOT to go to work for one day. Now, I realize that most Americans cannot afford to miss a day of work, but there are those that are able. With the prices rising faster and higher, I feel it won’t be long before people cannot afford to drive to work and will be making that choice…do I drive to work today or do I put food on the table?

What if there was a movement toward a 4 day work week until this crisis is over? For employers who could shut down for one day a week, they would have the added benefit of cutting heating and cooling costs. We have a school district south of us who went to a 4 day school week and I have heard positive things about it. There were many obstacles to overcome in the initial transformation, but for the most part I believe it was a positive move.

I have seen email forwards asking for every person to not purchase fuel on a particular day, but that has not seemed to make a difference. I think NOT going to work for a day…..WOULD!  Maybe I am delusional…I am not economist, nor do I play one on television, but it seems there would be some relief, if not some kind of satisfaction, in a cohesive campaign. What do you think?

Now these people know how to compost! I love watching this video clip.