What are the most recent technological developments in the space, etc?

Ultimately, the only permanent solution to high fuel prices and to free ourselves from recurring fuel price spikes at the whim of volatile and even hostile oil-producing nations is to end our oil addiction. That means sharply decreasing the amount of oil that our vehicles use.

Later he lists all the changes he proposes to make driving less oil-consuming.

Not a word about driving less.

Say what? The political class in New York most certainly does *not* take the subway, our mayor being a notable exception. They all have parking permits, and they all drive. That is one reason why city politicans have such a windshield perspective even when they nominally represent predominantly non driving constituencies.

If the US Government spent a trillion dollars over 8 years on domestic oil production from known reserves in the Gulf of Mexico, the Continental Shelf and coal gasification instead of War in Iraq gas would be $2 a gallon or less. America could quit sending billions to countries that sponsor terrorism. And reducing our trade imbalance keeps jobs in America. Every billion of trade deficit costs 13,000 jobs. $400 billion for oil last year: do the math.

America has 1/4th the coal on planet earth. South Africa is producing 300,000 barrels of gas and diesel a day from coal. And synthetic fuel from coal is cleaner burning than gas. And it can be produced cheaper than from $100+ a barrel crude oil.

Harness your anger at the pump. Call you’re US Senators and demand domestic production in this decade. If you don’t raise your voice the oil companies and politicians will assume you are ready to pay even more.

I have a simple choice for Mr. Lieberman, and it won’t
take 2,500 words. Either:

a) Build 1,000 advanced technology nuclear reactors, for electricity and transportation fuel production, and
energy independence, or:

b) Provide 200,000 body bags, and some chump change
of $100 trillion, for ‘blood for oil’ resource wars, for the foreseeable future.

c) There is also a whole Solar System out there, with
a million-fold the natural resources and real estate
of earth, with plenty of places to save (for future
use) our ‘nuclear waste’. There is also ‘Slingatron’
(look it up on the Web) technology, for slinging
nuclear waste, or anything else, into space, or in to
the Sun. The last I heard, the Sun does not care if
we dump some ‘nuclear’ in to it.

d) I hesitate to mention, that after 20 years of going
around in circles, perhaps we should come up with
(ugh!) a ‘national energy strategy’ which works.
After all, we did succeed at World War II, the Cold
War, and going to the moon. Perhaps, just perhaps,
the ‘energy problem’ is not beyond us. Think Big!?

Regards, Art Collins
Retired Aerospace & Nuclear Engineer.

Urbanis, the gasoline spiel was probably the closest thing topic-wise that they had laying around. Certainly, Lieberman and his staff were unprepared for a passenger rail- or transit-related question.

Those of you who are interested my find his article enlightening, even if you only read part of it:

http://americangoy.blogspot.com/2008/05/so-why-are-gas-prices-rising.html

To be fair, party-swapping Lieberman isn’t the right guy to look at if you’re hoping to find differences between Democrats and Republicans.

As a longtime pathological liar, Lieberman is even better at oil company bashing than his colleagues. Note, incidentally, the way they’re all checking their “conservative” credentials at the door, then loudly protesting conditions that grow directly out of free-market forces.