Beth Donovan on fri 22 dec 00
not for others!
This is long, feel free to delete. No feelings will be injured!
First of all to Janet - the US has no claim on Antartica and therefore would
not ok any drilling there, aside from the fact that the harshness of the
environment would make it a pretty dicey proposition. You really don't like
the US, do you?
To those who are convinced that higher energy prices are due to a conspiracy
of big multi-national corporations or just American corporations - did any
of you take economics in college? Do the words supply and demand mean
anything to you?
If you are selling your pots,you should run, not walk, to the nearest
college or university and sign up for both macro and micro economics
courses. Demand for energy is up because there are more people and they are
using more energy per capita than ever before. Supply is down is some areas
because of extreme government regulation or because of environmental
protests. High demand + low supply = higher prices.
Deregulation per se is not the culprit. But, if there is to be
deregulation, is must be nationwide, at the same time, not just southern
California.
An example - long distance telephone rates - the real cost of long distance
calls has fallen more dramatically than anyone would have ever guessed due
to increased competition due to the deregulation of phone service in the US.
I can call my sister in Buffalo New York for 5 cents a minute - 20 years
ago, it was around 32 cents a minute. That is an astounding decrease in
prices, especially if you take inflation into consideration. All this was
due to deregulation and increased competition.
To the generally misinformed: Natural gas is indeed a by-product of oil,
however, there are many natural gas wells which have been drilled with the
intention of finding natural gas, not oil.
California only has about 1/3 the natural gas reserves of Kansas, with many,
many times the population of Kansas, and that includes offshore reserves,
which environmentalists want left alone. This is why your gas prices are
higher.
f California wants bo buy natural gas drilled in other states, pipelines
must be built - oh, but environmentalists don't like pipelines either, do
they?
Don't get me wrong, the environment is important, precautions must be made
to avoid problems, but forbidding any research, drilling, pipelines, etc.,
just because, might be going a wee bit too far. Many analysts feel that some
(emphasis on some) environmentalists have gone overboard in their concerns
about energy production.
To everyone else: Energy conservation is important in keeping prices down
because it keeps demand down. How can you conserve energy?
Don't drive gas guzzling vehicles. Keep your house cooler in winter, warmer
in summer - I keep my thermostat turned down to about 63 in the winter this
year (78 in the summer) - we wear sweaters and sometimes two pairs of socks
in the house, and despite much colder weather and increased prices, my gas
bill this month was 15% less than last year's. We turn the thermostat down
to 60 at night - and we have 5 dogs and 7 cats who sleep in our bedroom and
keep the temperature up to about 70 because of all that added body heat!
As an added benefit, the air is not as dry, so we have fewer sinus problems
and no static electricity causing bad hair days.
Turn off your computer when you are not using it, and the montitor, too.
Only do laundry when you have a full load. let your dishes dry without heat
if you have a dishwasher.
I have Christmas lights on my house - but they are on a timer, and are only
on for about 4 hours each night. Keep blinds closed and drapes pulled in
the winter. Put up your storm windows, or better yet, buy new, energy
efficient windows.
I bought a smallish convection oven for cooking - less heating time, and
less space to heat = lower energy usage.
Admittedly, in Kansas, gas prices are less than in many parts of the country
because there is a lot of natural gas in Kansas - and because it doesn't
have to be transported very far, costs are lower. The Hugoton Embayment is
one of the largest natural gas deposits in the lower 48, and it is located
in Kansas.
I'm sure I have annoyed some, but perhaps I have opened the minds of one or
two people to the possibility that a free market system is mostly a good
one, and freedom is good, too.
Beth Donovan in Leavenworth, Kansas
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