There is an article in the Dallas Morning News that exhaustively outlines the the challenges the nation faces as it disentangles itself from its petroleum addiction. This is especially important in view of the Cap and Trade plan moving through the US Congress.
Consider the following smattering of Texas oil production facts:
- In 2008, the oil and gas industry contributed 16.5 percent of Texas' gross state product and employed 367,967 people, or 3.52 percent of the state's nonfarm jobs, according to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. The renewable industry, according to data from 2007, employed about 18,427 people.
- Texas supplies the US with 25% of its natural gas.
- Oil remains Texas's biggest export. Texas produces 1 million barrels of oil per day, 20% of US production.
- Small or marginal oil wells account for 21 percent of US oil production. Of those, 44% are in Texas.
You've probably figured this out already but transforming the kind of energy the US uses means bulldogging big oil. A lot of jobs, infrastructure, and money are at stake over the long haul and there's going to be political hamburger knee-deep all over the place.
While it would be nice to have zero-carbon emission energy sources, it's not likely to be 100% practical. The plain fact is that hydrocarbon fuels are simple and powerful sources of energy. But the technological innovations to make them more efficient -- to get even more bang and less smog for your buck-- have been few in recent years. Hopefully, green energy's rising importance will force the petroleum industry to develop those more efficient technologies.
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