For just a moment think about what life would be like if we didn\’t have oil or coal or gas or electricity for a week. Remember the last time the power went out?

Renewables like wind and solar are part of the solution, but until we find ways to store the energy for times of peak demand and deliver it from the point of production to where it is needed it cannot replace other reliable sources like fossil fuels, hydro and nuclear. Right now oil is the best thing we have and producing more of our own makes sense as a bridge to tomorrow’s sources. The argument that it will take five to ten years before we produce any is foolish. You have to start somewhere and everything takes time. To do nothing simply means that we have no solution.

Using natural gas to power our vehicles is a great idea. The technology has been around for a hundred years and it is utilized around the world. We just need to improve the infrastructure so that we can deliver the natural gas as efficiently as we deliver diesel and gasoline. We have known reserves that can be extracted cleanly and safely for generations and on a small scale it is renewable. Methane can be produced on farms and landfills.

So please, whatever your political views are, can we put aside the bickering and name calling for a moment and unite to ensure the future of American and our children and grandchildren? Let\’s leave them a better, healthier and safer place to live.

Do not listen to those that want to go off subject to demean a person running for office rather than to stay focused on what the objective of this forum is.

No matter our opinion of the person running, our objective is alternative fuel, saving the American citizenry billions in out going tax dollars (and dollars out of our own pockets) and providing a hopefully cleaner environment for our countries future.

Keep the course and hopefully those that cannot will dissipate in time without recognition to their comments.

The solutions I have suggested will have similar issues at some point. So leverage is necessary but it has to be built on concensus ( hence, Picken\’s Plan ). We have to take the time to build concensus through the discussion process. Democracy is troubling, eh?

How is this so ?

They have 4 separate taxes on oil and gas and derive 90% of state revenue from the industry. EVERY Alaskan gets an annual rebate from oil that can be between 1600 to 3200 per person. Not too bad if you get it .

She \”took on big oil\” by cramming a $1200 per resident rebate on top of the high kickbacks already in place. The governor of Alaska has a lot of leverage in dealing with oil companies , fairly high levels of reserves, expensive equipment in place, and an industry desperate to continue getting revenue from it\’s large investment in the pipeline.

Connect the dots. Federal royalties on lower 48 oil are not collected and we must subsidize companies to explore and drill. Alasaka jacks up the price fro everybody in the lower 48 and redistributes our wealth to it\’s citizens.

No wonder she has an 80% approval rating.

Jim Opelt

\”I\’m for anything American\” is scary close to \”at any cost\” and ignores the simple fact of the globalization of our \”American\” oil companies … I\’m not trying to put words into Boone\’s mouth or take something out of context, but the greatest danger is to put even more into the same; it\’s not working and it won\’t work by doing more of it.

We need the plan and the plan needs us (warts and all). We don\’t have to agree to every item put forward by Boone or individual members (this is still America!~) to move forward and support a better future (and by future I mean a time beyond our immediate generation; there will be a need for energy and \”oil by products\” far past any oil reserve).

One final note to Conrad, as you brought up the point; Yes oil companies are \”holding back\” and it\’s \”the American way\” to make maximum profits by manipulating the supply chain; to suggest otherwise ignores the basic fact of why we are even here today talking about energy costs and alternatives to more of the same.

You have been invaded by the enemy! Between the folks singly focused on only one energy solution and those within the environmental movement whom are significantly responsible for our present conditions, your website is under attack!

Alaskan’s have had to live with outside environmental organizations using their friends in Congress and the Federal courts to stop development of our natural resources. They have been very successful in driving potential employers out of our state and off-shore.

We live in Alaska and several months ago proposed tapping the natural gas line from Alaska to the “lower 48” to provide natural gas to all Alaskan Communities. This proposal could demonstrate to the whole world that we can use natural gas to replace oil for home heating and vehicle fuels on a large statewide scale. We have several billion dollars surplus within our state government generated from our oil sold on the world market that could be used to help develop the proposed system.

However we would appreciate help in locating valid sources of information for the following endeavors:
(1) Where can we find information on costs, materials and supply sources to convert existing vehicles to natural gas? Does a gallon of liquid natural gas equate to gasoline in miles per gallon for these vehicles after the conversion?
(2) Where can we find information on converting natural gas into compressed natural gas for transport within our state via waterways and our road system?
(3) We need costs to build liquid natural gas stations for vehicles and larger systems for small remote communities to generate electricity. Is it financially feasible for communities located in strategic transport locations to compress the fuel and transport to remote locations serviced by our waterways? We would like to consider the plant as a source of income and employment for our small community? Where can we locate production, engineering, storage and transport equipment information that can be used to study the possibilities?

Alaskans also need to be allowed to develop our states oil deposits and other natural resources to help turn the balance of payments from foreign countries back to our own country.

We know our Governor has the best interest of America at heart and is willing to put forth the effort necessary to prevent our corrupt politicians from doing more harm to our country. She is a fresh breath for a system prone with cronyism and controlled by special interest groups that seem to put their own ideology above the best interests of Americans!

Keep up the good work and stay focused on what needs to be done, rather than the rant currently underway on your website.

Joe Poor