What follows is not meant to be inclusive. It is meant to be what it is, reflections from a 40 mile round trip from Tinmouth to Manchester Center and back. Thoughts on Federal/Local policy flowing, as it were, from the BP fiasco:
D-Day2010 for Energy Independence/Conservation: A Few Ideas*
- Return to ’73. 55mph speed limit implemented within 60 days or less, save thousands of lives, huge amount of gas. EVERYBODY participates/sacrifices, easy-ish to do.
- Return to ’73. Winter double daylight savings.
- Summer Jobs Service Corps, to be implemented immediately. 10K kids to Gulf of Mexico to fend off the spill. Pay for with temporary 25-cent gas tax or cigarette tax. (Kids Krusade is Kool.)
- Campaign 60/75. Winter thermostats never higher than 60 degrees, summer A/C never lower than 75. Public ads/blog/tweet/support groups/local campaigns.
- Extend Bush tax cuts, but balance half of lost tax $$ by raising gas tax $1.00 or some such per gallon.
- States: Immediately double registration fees for gas guzzlers, quintuple within 5 years. (Remove when fleet MPG standards reach a specified point.)
- 150-day 80% government-funded home energy efficiency payment (for specified activities); at end of 1 year begin penalties for those who have not taken certain steps.
- Graduated penalties for building energy efficiency deficits, material/painful by year 3 or 4.
- Water conservation rules/penalties/bill reductions. Effect on water but also energy use associated therewith.
(*Must have several implementable ASAP. Must induce shared pain-contribution by ALL.)
(ABOVE: Rare Clematis. BELOW: Serious work gloves.)
