Solutions to Energy Problems

I plan on hashing out some reform ideas on the three biggest drains on our pocketbooks: energy costs, health care costs and education.

All three of these industries if handled properly can revolutionize the US economy for the better and save Americans billions of dollars. All three areas are mired in old, traditional ways that need to be reformed.

I am going to start with energy and then address health care and education in future blogs. These are some ideas that have been swirling around in my head.

Energy independence is going to be one of the hottest election issues this Fall. Most people would agree that we are paying for oil to areas of the world that are not sharing our goals and ideals at best. We may be funding anti-American terrorism at worst.

I have 3 ideas that are very simple and need to be adopted immediately.

1. Emphasize telecommuting (working from home)

Lots of good information about telecommuting here. Some quick facts:

• Less than 5% of Americans telecommute, but 40% could telecommute.
• 70 minutes per day are wasted in an office setting chit-chatting with co-workers.
• Telecommuting saves each person approximately $900/year at $4 per gallon of gas.
• 26 days are eliminated each year in commute time.
• If 40% of the workforce telecommuted, we would cut our dependence on foreign oil by 80%.
• After an initial adjustment period (usually lasting around 60 days), telecommuters have been found to be more productive than traditional office workers; less likely to miss work; enjoy the work more.

2. Emphasize the 4-day work week

Some jobs don't lend themselves to telecommuting. Many of these jobs can offer workers 4-day work weeks instead of a more traditional 5-day work week. This will provide similar benefits as telecommuting in reducing oil consumption, traffic congestion, wasted commute time, etc...

I think you need to emphasize 10-hour work days versus 8-hour work days to make this viable. Worker productivity would need to stay high for the US economy to remain competitive. But I would venture to say that most workers would accept a trade-off of 4 10-hour days versus 5 8-hour days.

3. Go nuclear

My dad holds a PhD in physics and has worked for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for over 30 years. So I am sure he has contributed to my pro-nuclear energy beliefs. The case for nuclear energy at this point is overwhelming.

Patrick Moore- co-founder of Greenpeace was anti-nuclear in the 1970s. He wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Post two years ago making the case for nuclear energy. Basically:

• It costs less than coal
• It is cleaner energy
• It would help us achieve energy independence by reducing our need for foreign oil

We can also drill for oil off our shores. This is supported by over 75% of the US population and would signal an important move in the direction of energy independence.

This website has a petition going with over 580,000 signatures to encourage Congress to start getting real about our need for energy reform. But ultimately, we need to reduce our oil consumption. Telecommuting, the 4-day work week and a move to nuclear energy will help accomplish this need.

Ashley Hodge