Justin
You are not the buyer of these very sophomoric and cartoonish cartoons. It is the newspaper’s editorial page staff that is Granlund’s consumer and he scribbles for them, not you. They in turn should be concerned about their consumers; they apparently are not and the decline in circulation, influence, revenue and stock price is the result. Albeit that’s caused by more serious failings than stupid editorial cartoons.
Ken – perhaps you could forward your comment on to Ted the swimmer and ask why he isn’t championing something green, say wind power near Cape Cod?

Justin, On the contrary, I am not complaining about the possibilities of oil rigs on my pristine water view. Drilling for more oil will not alleviate the immediate USA problem. Till the gasoline refineries get a handle on a replacement for MTBE, build new refineries, the dollar increases in value and the quick money speculators get out of the oil futures we will not see oil prices decline but continue to rise near the $200 a barrel mark. The current laws and environmental protections are instituted because of the past disasters which Rhode Island, Alaska, California, Gulf Coast states are still environmentally recovering from. Take away the laws and requirements and I’m glad I’m living in Hawaii and not the mainland. I worked a few years with oil industry providing required oil well blow-out preventers. I did not say you had to switch to a Toyota Prius. I used that example to inform you that technology has been here all along to obtain near or up to 100 miles per gallon however, that does not sell cars or trucks in the US. As for the examples of State of Hawaii endeavors and the private companies that are moving ahead with proven alternate energy technology projects, talk is talk and action is stronger than words. Hawaii as a whole state is downsizings it’s fossil fuel dependence, lowering our costs and enhancing the air we breathe in the state. As a matter of fact, the Hawaiian Electric Company is sending out $19 rebate checks to all for lowered usage. With the help of the vast Dutch conglomerate, Shell, and HR BioPetroleum researching the making of biofuel from algae, using a 6-acre site operated by the Hawaii Natural Energy Laboratory on the Big Island, Hawaii will soon be producing its own biofuels and… Read more »

chuckR,
If you know “Ted the swimmer” then you can forward my comments because I don’t know who that person is or how to contact.
I wouldn’t suggest a wind farms for Cape Cod due to this is New England, the maintenance, hurricanes plus the fact you’d have to erect too many wind turbines to get the megawatt output and when the winds does not blow or is too light you get nothing.
Just north of Worchester near Mt Wachusett ski area, take the chair lift or drive the road to the top, as you look down to the south, you will see an enormous wind turbine farm. Fix that sight in you mind and then transfer it to RI, MA or Cape Cod shore line and you’ll understand there are different ways to approach a problem when tourism is one of your states major income.
Better off with something like a self sustaining sea-water heat differential power plant. There would be a low profile, probably cheaper construction, higher power output, not a boating hazard and blends into the community (greater acceptance) except for power transmission lines onto grid.

Ken
The euros have experience with high wind and high water at wind farms in the North Sea and adjacent areas. I find the wind turbines attractive – at least moreso than Brayton Point power plant. If you are on Nantucket, even assuming a day with no sea haze whatsoever, the wind farm would barely appear on the horizon. Its on shoal water, so its a navigation marker rather than a navigation hazard.
Your list of projects are all interesting, but none will deliver significant power, even if you quote them in watts instead of megawatts to make it sound more impressive. BTW, ocean thermal energy conversion is not new; as an engineer I first heard of it in the late 70’s. I may have the chance to consult on a tidal power generator so I’m not averse to alternative energy sources. However, opponents will come out of the woodwork the minute any of these ideas are successful and scaled up to produce significant power rather proof of concept demonstration levels of power. It leads me to suspect that many greenies are more interested in shutting down civilization than they are in advancing it.
Lastly, while I find the technology pretty sweet, I’m not all that impressed with the actual mileage of the Prius. Look up the Nash Metropolitan from mid last century.
Hints to the identity of Ted the swimmer:
– 68 Oldsmobile
– Bushmills

chuckR, I never said or indicated ocean thermal energy conversion was new. Actually as you indicated it was developed back in the 70s but dropped in 1990s because it was not cost effective against $70 per barrel oil prices of the times. In the 1970s the largest ocean thermal energy conversion plant at Keahole, HI produced only 217 kilowatts. Now with oil prices topping $140 a barrel and good possibility of reaching $200 per barrel the new $10 – $15 million self sustainable 1.2 megawatts ocean thermal energy conversion plant being constructed in HI coming online this year (2008) is a cost effective alternative and the 13-megawatt military plant version will be an asset to the military. I am not against wind power. I just treat it as another resource that has its place in a long list of alternatives. I believe in blending the resources into the landscape instead of trying to make a technological bold statement. Republican Governor Linda Lingle and Democratic controlled General Assembly are on record in writing that the State of HI will position its self to be 30% fossil fuel dependant replacing 70% of energy needs with renewable alternate energy resources by year 2030. The military in HI has been adding solar hot water heating and solar photovoltaic power system to its base housing and buildings, large commercial companies such as Wal-Mart, Nordstrom, Young Brother’s International Shipping, D.R. Horton, Inc.(home builder) and Paradise Beverages, Inc. to name a few have added alternate energy to their buildings. One out of every four homes in HI has solar hot water heating. I can ride public transportation to anywhere in the 597 sq miles of Oahu for $440 a year or drive my car at current gasoline rates $4.35/gal for $720 a year. I am trying to… Read more »

Monique,
“Note also in the cartoon that the sea level has risen by several feet. Get it?? Because we had been using all that oil and coal! I’m surprised Granlund didn’t work an orphan polar bear into the cartoon.
Shame on Dave Granlund for falling for AGW and perpetuating a myth without doing a little research.”
Monique,
You can also look at the cartoon and interpret that oil exploration and offshore drilling produced so much extra oil that there was no place to put it and the USA is wallowing in its own oil.
When was the last time a new refinery was built in USA to meet demand and EPA approved a new alternative for MTBE clean air additive requirement for gasoline production?
$5 gasoline by end of summer and $6 to $7 gasoline by Thanksgiving or Christmas.
It’s the free market way!
Basic food, living, entertainment will be up another 20% in cost and there is nothing you or the laws can do about it.
FREE MARKET!

Monique
You admit that OPEC is beyond the control of the “free” market and fail to ascribe the problem to a “free’ market failure. You are admitting, admittedly sub rosa, that the oil cartel is beyond the benevolent, blind hand of the “free” market and is running amok. Where is the so called “free” market self correcting mechanism here? You cite two sources of the problem, but only complain about “seriously misguided politicians.” The uncontrolable and carefully manipulated oil cartel slips by your “analysis” of the problem.
OldTimeLefty