Oil+Crisis

     __**Intro to Oil Crisis**__ Man is a creature built upon technology. It has been our stepping stone to civilization. Yet one of the greatest stones in this pathway we have found to have treacherous footing. We covet it, and for good reason. It heats our food, it drives our cars, it even keeps a child's night light going through morning. Yet it also puts others into poverty, and businesses greedily withhold it for more money. And we can't live without it. The most alarming thing of all, the stone is shrinking. And if we don't make the jump from this stone to the next, we will find ourselves falling from our perch of civilization. This stone is oil. As prices rise, light is shone upon the corruption surrounding our source of energy. And it becomes clear we must make a change.user:SterlingSilver

__**U.S. Dependence on Oil**__

The American love of oil has been present for years. Vehicles such as the SUV and the Minivan have become icons of American life. We have continually resorted to convenience and not efficiency in cars, again and again resorting to “Gas Guzzlers.” And as transportation such as the Hummer (with an average mile per gallon of 10) becomes popular, we become outright decadent. This “Gas Guzzling” theme has more than just a household connotation. Apart from the indulgence in the home, America itself gorges on oil. We use daily 20.8 million barrels of oil. Annually, that amounts 7.6 billion barrels. At every turn, this hunger has been sated. With little governmental regulation toward the preservation of this vital fluid, we have constantly worked against our own economy. With past institutions such as low oil tax and our adherence to low national averages we have set ourselves up for this current crisis. Instead we built up dependence upon oil, using the "commodity" at such cheap prices that it was impossible not to put our focus on it, which cuts at the U.S. like an addiction. And if we wish to thrive, we must cure ourselves of this addiction at the highest speed possible. Our economy is dependent on oil to a frightening degree. Yet oil is no longer the cheap and available resource it once was. Oil prices are reaching such highs it is already becoming infeasible to invest so much money on it. That is why the extent of our dependence is so deeply alarming. With the world’s oil reserves in rapid decline, and the price of oil in a steep incline, we it is imperative we reevaluate our dependence on oil as a source of energy. The United States is so deeply entrenched in oil that it is difficult for alternatives to complete even a partial takeover. 86% of the United States energy is derived from fossil fuels, and 40% from oil. On the other hand, the energy produced by renewable energy amounts to just barely 1%. Efforts have been made to ensure a renewable future, but the efforts are too little, and we must improve them before it's too late. Certain oil companies, such as Exxon mobile, refuse to invest in alternatives at all. And so far there has been no vehicle available in mass production able to run on alternative sources. We must pursue a future in alternative, renewable energies, and a future not standing on its last legs. Our sources of oil are also not completely stable. Up to 14.5% of oil used in the U.S. comes from Saudi Arabia, and much more from the surrounding area. After the September 11th attack and our handling of the situation, the entirety of the Middle East is considered by some to be volatile towards us at this point in time. Now, with our relations with one of our main sources of fuel being contested, it is imperative that we either repair the problems we have with our source of energy or to find a new source of energy altogether. Seeing as our efforts to "pacify" the area (The Iraq War) have gone so far, and are still going to date, it is easy to see what is necessary to assure the American future.  Edit Till It's Good!user:SterlingSilver

==== Inflation of the United States is occurring due to the fact oil is merely running out, and survival of the fittest is starting. The United States can't counter the inflation problem because we buy our oil from other countries of the world, mostly just in north and south America. The major countries we buy our oil from are Canada and Mexico. Oil running out is the biggest reason for inflation of the general price level of gas/petroleum etc... There are also small, other reasons for the inflation. These are simple explanations such as our supply is much lower than our demand is and much lower than it was several years ago. Another such small reason now is an organization called OPEC.  2.,3.,4.,5.,6.,7. user:KittenXman====

During the early 70's the first oil crisis occurred. It was the year 1973 and from there on, the oil would fluctuate, reaching higher prices then dropping to low prices once again, but what caused THIS oil crisis? One of the reasons for this and the other oil crisis present today is because of an organization called OPEC. OPEC stands for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. They controlled over 2/3 of the oil produced in the 1970's, but now only have a few members and buyers. OPEC completely has all overseas oil production in the palm of their hands. They can change prices; they can do whatever they want to over seas packages to the west and east//.// One incident OPEC had a hand in started out by taking shipments of crude oil to the United States, and putting embargo on them. They then shut down the oil production to the countries presently enrolled in the organization. This made the prices of oil fluctuate. Countries that were buying from OPEC were majorly inflated by the ordeal, including the United States. This made a barrel of oil about 20 dollars, which was a huge step from 3 or 4 dollars. It only scaled higher and higher from there, and then onto our present year, where the oil is now being used up, is running out, and a barrel of oil is about 129 dollars. After the inflation caused by OPEC, no country trusted it (especially the United States). Thus, the decline of countries present in OPEC nowadays.2.,3.,4.,5.,6.,7. user:KittenXman



Now, the Earth is stocked full of oil, whether it's in the ocean depths or the ice caps. We just can't access the oil in the deep ocean, or in the slate of rocks//.// The process of secreting oil from rocks starts by heating rocks deep in the earth, and secreting the oil coming out of the rock. Then it is sent to a pump where we can pick it up. However, secreting oil from slate takes up too much time for the sellers and buyers. All energy put into the process of getting the oil out of the slate is equal to the selling price, which isn't very profitable for the seller. Therefore, slate is no longer an option. Countries can build huge factories on water, called Oil Rigs. These extend all the way down to the bottom of the ocean, constructed with concrete, and then drilled in a similar fashion to on land. Ocean drilling is very expensive and it takes a while to build a station out in the water, but the payoff is black gold. It's the oil on land that is easily accessible and is becoming dry. Demand in countries is ever-increasing. In a matter of years, the world's population will double, and so will the demand for oil, which is a BIG cause of this oil crisis.2.,3.,4.,5.,6.,7. user:KittenXman

__**The Bell Curve**__

Oil production is measured on a bell curve. Oil is increasingly plentiful on the up slope of the bell curve, increasingly scarce and expensive on the down slope. The peak of the curve coincides with the point at which the endowment of oil has been 50 percent depleted. Once the peak is passed, oil production begins to go down while cost begins to go up. This means that if 2005 was the year of Global Peak Oil, worldwide oil production in the year 2030 will be the same as it was in 1980. //However, the world’s population//  in 2030 will be both larger and more industrialized (oil-dependent) than it was in 1980. mark twain once said "substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very"; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be." such applies to much. Consequently, worldwide demand for oil will outpace worldwide production of oil by a significant margin. As a result, the price will skyrocket, oil dependent economies will crumble, and resource wars will ignite. 2.,3.,4.,5.,6.,7. user:KittenXman <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Vice President Dick Cheney stated: <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">//"By some estimates, there will be an average of two-percent annual growth//  <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">//in global oil demand over the years ahead, along with,//  <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">**//conservatively//**  <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">//, a//   <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">//three-percent natural decline in production from existing reserves. That//   <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">//means by 2010 we will need an additional 50 million barrels per day."// 2.,3.,4.,5.,6. //user:KittenXman//

The 90's were the years that the United States got a taste of the oil running out. We began to deplete the oil on land, so much that we noticed the slight change. The United States has a gold mine of oil, but cannot be tampered with because of wildlife. ANWR, the last major untapped field left in Alaska is being fought over by capitalists and environmentalists. This fight is because tankers full of oil have spilled in wildlife areas before. Most people agree that today’s technology is very advanced and when these tankers spilled, they were old tankers, old technology. Now we are much quicker and cleaner about producing oil. Alternate fuel sources seem important, but they depend on fossil fuels also to produce them. Food, water, and modern medicine, mass quantities of oil are required for all plastics, all computers and all high-tech devices. Almost everything in an industrial country depends on the use of fossil fuels daily, but we must change to alternatives to stop the inflation.<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif">2.,3.,4.,5.,6.,7. user:KittenXman



<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">Many industry insiders think the decline rate will far higher than Cheney anticipated in 1999. Andrew Gould, CEO of the giant oil services firm Schlumberger, for instance, recently stated that "An accurate average decline rate of 8% is not an unreasonable assumption." Some industry analysts are anticipating decline rates as high as 13% per year. A 13% yearly decline rate would cause global production to drop by 75% in less than 11 years. If a 5% drop in production caused prices to triple in the 1970s, what do you think a 50% or 75% drop is going to do? Estimates coming out of the oil industry indicate that this drop in production has already begun. The consequences of this are almost unimaginable. As we slide down the down slope of the global oil production curve, we may find ourselves slipping into something best described as a "post industrial stone age."2.,3.,4.,5.,6.,7. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> user:KittenXman <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> //By Jesus Christ// Many would like to credit the rising oil prices (and thus the rising gas prices) to the War in Iraq. These critics claim that the United States entered Iraq under false pretenses in order to meet with a rich supply of the so called "liquid gold." But in reality, even if the war is contributing slightly to the cost, there is another, more influential reason behind the scenes: the oil companies. These big corporations have basically gained a choke hold on America, and even the world. Until recently, the price of crude oil per barrel was not that high. In fact, in the year 2000, the average price of a barrel of crude oil was just $27.40 and that price only increased slowly up until last year, 2007, when the average price was $64.20. (CHART A) Further, the price of crude oil didn't break $100 until March of this year, yet we have been suffering from outrageous pain at the pump for quite some time. The oil companies constantly play the stonewalling game, trying to blame the high prices on anyone and everyone but themselves. But the truth of the matter is that the oil companies, and the dictator-like corporate heads that run them, are simply greedy.
 * __Oil Companies__**

//"Drainage! Drainage, Eli, you boy. Drained dry. I'm so sorry. Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? You watching?. And my straw reaches acroooooooss the room, and starts to drink your milkshake... I... drink... your... milkshake! I drink it up!"//

-Daniel Plainview //There Will Be Blood// user:colorblindzebra

(CHART A) As an example, Exxon Mobil made a record $11.7 Billion in profit in the fourth quarter of 207. That is after taking out money to cover their own expenses. And it is not just Exxon, all big oil companies reported record profits in the recent months. The only explanation is this: the oil companies are taking advantage of the American people. They realize that we //need// gasoline to get along in our daily lives. They realize that even if they charge twenty dollars per gallon, most will still //have// to pay it. This is because without gasoline, essentially all cars on the figurative economic road stop dead. Without gasoline, the world would stop dead. Produce and other products would not make it to the stores, people would not make it to work, kids would not make it to school. No one would go to the movies, theme parks or museums. The world would virtually be frozen in time, and the oil companies know this, and there is almost nothing we can do about it. But we do have a few options. Personally I love the United States for our Capitalist system, but I and many others are willing to compromise that position in this dyer situation. The Government has a choice to make: continue doing nothing, or start placing restrictions on the oil companies, forcing them to decrease the price of gas. This decision would help the American people and boost our economy, possibly launching it out of the inflation we now find ourselves sinking into. The only other viable option I see is to develop affordable and usable alternative fuels. But until the Government takes control, or until alternative fuel goes main stream, we will remain prisoners to the big oil companies slowly slinking along, going broke while they make billions.

=**Oil Politics and Production (Real World Examples)**=

user:Jameson92 China receives an estimated 30% of all its crude oil from Africa, making the country of Africa to be an important part of Asian exporting. By the end of 2008, China is projected to have 175,000 barrels a day. In 2006, China committed to Nigeria by investing $8 billion versus the $2.7 billion invested in all the other African countries. For Sudan, Beijing's China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) is Sudan's largest foreign investor, with some $5 billion in oil field development. In the South, Sudan's oil fields are very concentrated and are plagued by their own civil war, which I found is partly financed by the US to break down the government from the Islamic Khartoum-centered north. The main buyers of oil from both the Sudan and Nigeria are Asian countries, and for the U.S., trying to regulate the chaos in these countries keeps us from receiving their oil as exports. The U.S. should find different oil resources and places of export at this time, but base research and study to new alternatives to oil.

=__Nigeria__= <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif">Nigeria was hit by an oil crisis in the year 2004, along with the problems they faced in Iraq and through other OPEC countries such as Saudi Arabia, has quite the importance to the world. More than half of the oil that is outputted from Nigeria (2.5 million barrels a day) has been cut due to the unrest in the country’s oil producing regions and the continuing strike. 1.,2.

OPEC secretary-general Alhaji Mohammed Barkindo commented: "Nigeria's turn is coming at a time that has its own unique challenges and the president [of OPEC] has to respond to these challenges not only from the Nigerian angle, but also from the perspective of the entire organization of the 11 member countries." Mobil companies in Nigeria are the second-largest oil company, but since military attacks upon this country, oil output has dropped.1.,2.

Nigeria is the ninth largest concentration in the world for oil, having about 180 billion cubic feet of natural gas. From the unstable practices and exploration that the Nigerian government performs, their utilization of their oil productions has flared 75 percent of the gas that they produce and only re-injects about 12 percent to help out with oil recovery. Flaring is the burning of natural gas that can't be <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif"> processed or used by a country. Nigeria flares about 2 billion cubic feet of oil at this time, about 19 percent of the total amount of gas flared, which is the highest numbers of any country that is a part of OPEC.1.,2. user:Jameson92

=__Sudan__=

In the Sudan, main conflicts are being made around the topic of oil. The country of Sudan has been made into a vast exporter of oil, the remoteness of the country has left their land untouched until the recent years. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">Dutch, French, German, Malaysian, and Japanese business delegations have been noticing the advantages that this country can offer and or now trying to take part in their exporting.1.,2.

The country's reserves have gone up to around 563 billion barrels and they are soon to rise even more with their newly executed drilling operations. Oil sails have brought this African country about $5 billion annually which accumulates to one-third of the national budget.1.,2.

Although being blessed with a hefty oil production count, the country is struck with problems that put their economy to risk. The Sudanese civil war between the South and North Sudan will not end until action is taken on the part of their country's oil producing companies. To my surprise,<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> the world spends more than a quarter of a billion dollars annually on humanitarian aid to Sudan which helps with the oil production that allows the government to earn almost as much back from their oil. 1.,2.

The United States has already taken a stand in the wars going on in the Sudan. They've placed sanctions on their own private US investments in Sudan, but professionals say that further sanctions on the US stock listings on the oil drilling companies in Sudan would be the right move. Not allowing oil companies that drill oil from Sudan from entering the US market would provide a much needed economic leverage system against the government of <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">Khartoum.1.,2. user:Jameson92

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0)"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">What better way to solve the oil crisis than to eliminate it from our daily use entirely? The current future of energy seems to rest in alternative fuel and energy sources. The field of alternative energy production and research has seen rapid growth in recent years due to the rising cost of crude oil. The major sources of renewable energy are bio fuels, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, wind and hydrogen energy. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> **Biofuels** <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">Bio fuels can be potentially produced using any once living carbon based resource. The difference between bio fuels and regular crude oil is that crude oil is made from long dead animals and plant matter while bio fuels can be grown today as crops and processed tomorrow. Bio fuels are currently being grown as crops by farmers. A primary biofuel these crops are then harvested and converted into ethanol. Another source for bio fuels is algae farms. Supporters contend that bio fuels are carbon neutral as all the carbon burned off in the use of these fuels was initially taken from the atmosphere. One concern with bio fuels is their impact on the water supply as they are grown. Another huge one is the impact of the use of these fuels upon the world food supply. The amount of corn necessary to produce 16 gallons of ethanol is enough to feed a single person for six months. Currently 55 million tons of corn are used annually to produce ethanol. This accounts for 1/6 of the US's grain harvest, but only produces 3% of the demand for vehicle fuel. Both these problems however, can be solved by converting only the waste products produced by the harvesting of crops into fuels. In their current state of use and production, biofuels drive the prices of food through the roof due to the decrease of supply in terms of food crops.
 * __Alternatives to Oil__**

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> **Geothermal** <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">Geothermal energy is produced using the heat created within the earth to heat water, producing steam that powers turbines which in turn power generators. A positive aspect of this technology is that geothermal heat can be obtained in many areas of the world. It produces neither waste nor pollution. Geothermal energy is a continuous producer of energy, operating despite weather conditions, seasons and time of day. Geothermal units are also largely scalable; one can be used to power a single home or an entire block, depending upon one's needs. One concern is that geological hot spots can potentially cool down after a few decades of operation. Still, if we were to tap all the locations where geothermal energy was available, experts estimate that we could solve all of our current energy problems. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> **Hydro-Electric** <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">Hydroelectric power is obtained by harvesting the energy generated by moving water through the use of spinning turbines. Hydroelectric plants produce no emissions and have low operating costs. This in turn translates to cheap electricity. 19 percent of the world’s energy currently is generated from hydroelectric sources. One concern over this technology is the destruction of habitats when dams are built to harness this energy. People are displaced and habitats are affected, potentially endangering wildlife. Decaying submerged plant material leads to many harmful emissions of carbon dioxide and other gasses as well.

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> **Solar** <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">The total solar energy absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land masses is approximately 3850 zetta jules per year. That’s 3.850 X 1024 Jules of power. Worldwide energy consumption was 0.488 ZJ in 2005. Photovoltaics convert light energy into electricity. A common form of photovaltics collection is through simple panels. Sunlight can also be redirected and concentrated using fields of mirrors directed at a tower of photovaltics. The mirrors track the sun throughout the day. The process of collecting solar alone is environmentally friendly and produces no emissions. Producing photovoltaics on the other hand releases many toxins into the atmosphere and the environment. While once expensive to produce, the rising cost of oil and advancements in the field of solar is quickly making solar a feasible technology to generate energy. Photovoltaics are relatively portable, allowing them to be used in many mobile applications. One problem with solar is that the energy can only be generated when there is sunlight present, so production is affected by weather, seasons and the time of day.

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> **Wind** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">Wind energy is generated primarily using elevated turbines. Like hydroelectric and geothermal energy, the spinning motion of these turbines is translated into electricity. Turbines can only be established successfully in areas with a relatively consistent flow of air. Not much energy is produced by wind farms and they are expensive to maintain. The Department of Energy estimates that if we were to harness all <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">//feasibly//  <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif"> available wind energy in the United States, we would only generate twenty to thirty percent of the United State's current energy needs. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">**Hydrogen** <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">Hydrogen fuel has the highest energy content per weight in common fuels (almost three times the amount of gasoline). Hydrogen is not considered to be an energy source, because the amount of energy that is used to produce hydrogen is no greater then the amount of energy produced. As such it is considered to be an energy carrier. A common energy carrier is electricity. Unlike electricity, hydrogen produced today can be stored and transported easily until needed. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">Hydrogen can be obtained in one of two ways. The cheapest and most common is steam reforming, and accounts for 95% of hydrogen produced today. In steam reforming, hydrogen is separated from carbon in methane. This process however releases greenhouse gasses. Electrolysis splits water into hydrogen and oxygen gas. This produces no emissions, but is currently too expensive to perform on a global scale. The biggest bonus to using hydrogen is that when burned off to produce energy, its only emission is clean water.

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> ** Analysis ** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">All in all, the future of alternative energy has great potential, but the leap it will take to transfer from an oil based economy to one based upon alternative fuels will take time an effort from all, both government and private sectors of our economy. This crossover period could last anywhere from 10 to 20 years and will not be a smooth transition. During this time, infrastructure will be built to support the industry, favorable energy policies towards alternative fuels will be written and new technologies will be pushed, motivating the people to take part in making the shift to alternative fuels. user:colorblindzebra <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">Our group believes that the oil crisis has struck the world with a mighty force. Research shows that The United States alone consumes over twenty five million barrels of crude oil a day. From the statistics you can see that the oil crisis is out of our hands and the United States needs to do something about this world wide problem. Other countries must join with ours and take a stand to show this crisis whose boss. The solution will come gradually, but for it to take full affect we need to start now. Alternative fuels are the wave of the future. We shouldn’t just ban oil just yet, but look to other fuel sources for our benefit and the world’s.
 * __Conclusion__**

**__Editorial__**
Through the research our team has conducted, the oil crisis seems to have not only affected the U.S., but also the world. In the United States, we consume 20.8 million barrels of crude oil a day and we are soon finding that the demand for oil is totally out-weighing the supply of what we have. In many ways, this crisis has countries taking sides such as the Asian countries and Africa for the exportation of oil. Countries have sanctioned others for oil production and have made ties to better their oil exportation. The people connected to these oil problems are mainly viewed to be greedy; OPEC has controlled shipments of oil since the beginning of the first oil crisis in 1973, and since then made large embargoes on shipments of oil outside of the OPEC countries.We believe many people who stop the drilling in places like Alaska, are the same people who are taxing the oil when it comes over the border. This causes a great inflation on our countries prices, because almost everything produced needs crude oil for production of that certain product. Alternate fuel sources are a good start, but altogether we must STOP the complaining about the high prices and start drilling. The problem is caused by people in office and on the streets. We as a group must send a letter to convince them to stop the protests and realize that they are causing this oil crisis themselves.user:KittenXman

As a team, our stand is towards drilling more and creating more oil to produce, but at the same time, fund the alternative fuel researches and studies to better our future. user:Jameson92

As a group we came to a decision for our action. We know we can’t do much, but we proposed to write a letter to the editor, and from there hopefully, send it to our senator. We explained in the letter that to solve our oil crisis we must look to alternative energies. We asked them to develop legislation supporting hydrogen as an alternative to oil, not on a temporary, trial basis, but a permanant part of our nations infrastructure. we also asked for funding to be sent to research groups in all fielsd of alternative energy. user:colorblindzebra
 * __The Action__**

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">43120 Ranger Circle Drive <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">Coarsegold, CA 93614 <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">June 4, 2008  <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">BARBARA BOXER || || <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">112 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">WASHINGTON DC 20510 ||  <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">Dear Senator Boxer:  <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">I am a student at Yosemite High School. As my class nears driving age, one of the main issues for me and my peers (indeed, my entire generation) is the rising price of gasoline. I am sure you are aware of the risks of continuing down our oil dependent path. The prices continue upon their upward fluctuations. This stems from the speculation of oil running out, and companies capitalizing upon this fact. It seems to me that unless we can battle this injustice, there is no hope of these prices lowering, thus we must seek alternatives. I ask that you would support legislation backing research in the field of alternative energies and government sanctions on oil companies.  <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">I request that you take action to promote the establishment of infrastructure supporting the transition to alternative energies. Please make these technologies available and economically feasible to residents of California, and not just on a trial basis. I, on behalf of the American people, implore you to fund research to drive this change upon our economy and our nation.  <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and consider my request. I request that you inform me of progress towards a renewable future.  <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">Sincerely,  <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif">Peter Dailey 

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