[Grovenet] LNG

Fri Feb 1 09:52:02 PST 2008

David wrote:
"...how does restricting cocaine help an addict?"

That's a good metaphor. As you must know, it doesn't. The biggest
contributor to the on-going drug problem in the USA is that fact that we
made the unwanted drugs illegal and tried to stop the inflow. It doesn't
work. It simply drives the sources underground where it's easy to ignore
them, and if we choose not to ignore them it's far, far more expensive to
pursue them. And, experience shows us, restricting the sources has never,
ever, helped addicts or slowed the flow of drugs to new addicts. 

The only recovered drug addicts are those who found a reason, the courage
and the resources to stop using drugs. Those who are denied access to drugs
against their will go back to them at the first opportunity.

I believe we need to apply that success formula to energy.  

This isn't the time to panic. It's the time to roll up our sleeves and get
to work. Activists like VP Gore are calling for action, not hysteria. I see
too many others who are using their call to produce hysteria. I find that
offensive. 

By rolling up "our" sleeves, I'm talking about the world. Many nations are
doing just that. As I observed, the French and others have greatly reduced
their use of fossil fuels, and their "carbon footprint" is among the lowest
in the world while their economies are booming and their people prosperous.
They made decisions we chose not to make. We didn't like their solutions and
choose no alternatives. 

I think they are successful because, in their choices, they found the way to
both reduce their negative impact on our world and help their people thrive
and prosper, not sit in dark houses without adequate energy. The people of
those nations have a positive reason to do the right thing. 

As you know, I'm a strong believer in motivating people with carrots, not
sticks. 

I see what you propose - to restrict the flow of fuel into the northwest
needed to replace the dwindling Canadian gas supply  - as a stick similar to
forcing all gas stations west of Beaverton shut down to save gasoline. In
the short term less gas will be used there. But soon people will simply go
away, or drive long distances to buy gas, wasting far more then than they do
now. And the west county, including Forest Grove, falls deeper into poverty.

You tell me, how does that solve the problem?

We didn't get geothermal power plants by punishing people. We got them by
giving the "big business" so many people fear the opportunity to show how
they and we can move forward. We didn't get the few wind farms we now have
or the hydroelectric dams on the Columbia river by forcing people to build
them: we did it by allowing engineers, scientists, "big business" and our
government to move forward with innovative ideas, without forming protest
groups of private citizens who demanded inaction because they feared things
they knew nothing about.

In my world, giving up is easy. Solving big problems is hard. As the man
once said, "We do these things not because they are easy, but because they
are hard..." 

If the "nay-sayers" succeed in continuing to promote hysteria and distrust,
we won't succeed. The world will move on without us until we come to our
senses and get to work. 

In that case, you'll get your wish. By that time we'll be too bankrupt to
buy gas. If we have a pipeline it'll be empty. 

Ron D'Eau Claire  

-----Original Message-----
From: grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com [mailto:grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com] On
Behalf Of David Morelli
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2008 12:22 AM
To: Forest Grove local interests list
Subject: Re: [Grovenet] LNG

On Jan 31, 2008, at 9:28 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

> Let me answer with a question:
>
> How does making life in the USA more difficult help us work on
> answers?
>
> Ron D'Eau Claire

Ron,

Gee, I don't know, how does restricting cocaine help an addict?

If sometime, somewhere the American public sees that the current  
state of affairs cannot continue indefinitely, they may be prompted  
to action.

We have a serious problem that requires serious, prompt action.  We  
are finally emerging from almost a decade of denial by the Republican  
leadership.  We are well past the time for taking the simple, easy  
path.  Bush and his cronies saw to that.  We have some difficult  
decisions ahead of us.  And this LNG pipeline holds out the promise  
that we don't need to make the difficult decisions.

The LNP project promises that we can use more fossil fuels in the  
future than we did last year, because we will have one, two or three  
LNG ports in Oregon feeding Arab fuels to the Western United States.   
That is like putting studded tires on a 4WD SUV and telling people in  
advertisements that "it can go in ice and snow".  The hazard of  
driving on ice isn't the "go", it is the "stop".  We have plenty of  
accidents caused by people who "go" because they can, without ever  
asking themselves if they are going too fast.

The market thrives by selling fast cars, big SUV's and insurance.   
The market loves to pull vehicles out of ditches and fix bent  
fenders.  The market loves to sell pain medicine, bandages, and  
surgical gear.  The market also sells cemetery plots and cremations.   
The question is, "Are you better off teaching your children to drive  
sensibly and according to road conditions, or burying their mistakes?"

The two pipelines are projected for completion in 2012 and 2014.  If  
Professor Wieslaw Maslowski is correct, the construction projects  
could last longer than the polar bears.

By the way.  Global warming is expected to change the crops that can  
be grown in the United States.   It already is reducing the water  
available for growing them.  It already is increasing the incidents  
of forest fires world wide.  It already is increasing the frequency  
and severity of hurricanes and typhoons world wide.  It already is  
raising the temperatures that affect ocean krill and coral.  It  
already is raising the temperature of salmon habitat.  It already is  
affecting the yield of grapes.  It already is expanding the pests  
that attack trees.  Which is to say that it is already affecting  
fishing, timber, viniculture and agriculture in Oregon.

We are presently driving 90 mph on Highway 26 over Mount Hood with  
ice on the road.  We don't need more gas, we need to slow down.

David

>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com [mailto:grovenet-
> bounces at rdrop.com] On
> Behalf Of David Morelli

> So, how does building additional infrastructure to support expanded 
> fossil fuel consumption fit with what you believe?  This isn't a 
> replacement fuel, it is expanded fuel consumption.
>
> "Time left"
>
> Global warming possibly could deliver an ice free arctic within your 
> lifetime.  Some researchers see the possibility for an ice free arctic 
> within five years. 
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7139797.stm
>
> So, how does the building of this project fit with reversing climate 
> change?
>
> David
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