"I’ve worked in the oil-and-gas industry in New Orleans, Lafayette and now Texas for the last 40 years. I’ve seen both the ups and downs over the years but I’ve never been so fearful for my industry, my home state of Louisiana and my country.
The proposed cap-and-trade legislation will gut well-paying oil and gas jobs in Louisiana. The jobs will be in our refineries, fabrication shops, oilfield-service companies, oil companies, ports and related industries."
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5 comments:
Just as so many other industries have been reduced or eliminated over the span of human life on the planet, the oil industry will need to adapt to the new century.
Did anyone blog and feel sorry for all of the typewriter companies when PCs became the norm for offices?
Anonymous,
The typewriter went away because the PC came along.
And some companies went away because their product was obsolete (like buggy whips).
As of right now, there isn't enough "alternative" energy to take the place of the sources of energy we are currently. You've got to have a viable replacement (like nuclear, a strong, plentiful, clean, viable source), but those on left opposes it. prior to replacing what you have with it.
I believe the day is coming when there will be alternative sources, but right now I don't want to sweat my butt of during the Louisiana summers, and give up my air conditioner that works in the here and now, waiting for a possible replacement to come along.
But that's not how it happened with any of those industries or products you noted.
There was overlap -- and still is -- my office still has a couple of typewriters. There are still businesses that use buggy whips and such.
Imagine how much money your family could have saved if solar panels had cost what a refrigerator did back in the late '70s.
Imagine even now, if you could take all of that uncomfotable heat and transform it into energy and send it back into the grid while staying as cool as you want.
Just as a side note, in Israel, they keep their hot water tanks on their roofs -- they let the sun heat their water instead of wasting good energy doing it.
Water heaters on the roof will work wonders here in Louisiana in October though early May. It does get cold here. I imagine there will be plenty of hot water in January if you live in International Falls, Minnesota.
You just argued my case about politicians from places like New York demanding what works in New York should be instituted for the rest of the country. What works for New York may not work in Louisiana, and visa versa. That's why the federal government needs to get out of the way and allow governance to be done at the lower levels.
I think a guy from Knobnoster, Missouri know more about what's needed for Knobnoster, than some politician from California.
As far as the overlap issue, yes there has to be overlap, but like I said you need to come up with something that can be used as overlap.
I don't disagree with the need to come up with new energy sources. I'm saying at least come up with a new source before deleting the current source. There are some out there who wants us to go back to the stone age.
I was just using that as an example. I used to have a tank in the attic and it seemed odd to use energy to heat to warm water in a tank when the attic was hotter than I ever would want water out of the faucet to be.
I would guess that during colder months you would be able to draw energy through your power source.
What you are complaining about is a federalist system. Back in the day, our ancestors decided that we needed an income tax. That tax (and you know that the feds get money from other sources than taxes, right?) was redistributed after it was collected.
The states get to manage the money once it comes back.
Who gets how much money depends on the strength of their representatives.
That's how Alaska and Mississippi get back more than they paid in year after year.
Funding solar panels and wind technology, like they are doing in Oklahoma, is the future. There are a few schools in OK that are training students to build and maintain wind farms.
Making solar panels affordable to people making less than $250K would also be a start.
That would make training a priority. Train people in the oil industry to work in the wind and solar industry.
It would take time, but would be beneficial to all of us in the end.
And hey thanks for the interesting discusion. I haven't read much like this here and I appreciate it.
Take care.
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