If the United States wants to see what could happen in the midst of an energy crisis, it should look at India’s current situation.  The U.S. has known for a long time that it should conserve energy and broaden the ways it develops energy, as well as becoming less dependent on fossil fuels.  Things have gotten to the point where they are out of control, and fuel issues are affecting the entire world.

Right now, the United States is dealing with the pressures of depending on foreign fossil fuels.  There is the short supply and the expense, to begin with.  Then there are the issues of developing other forms of fuel and energy.

India is dealing with some very intense energy and fuel issues that the U.S. should stay very aware of.  Basically, the situation is that India has had a very unstable supply of electric energy as well as an energy shortage.  As a result, small businesses and houses are purchasing supplies of diesel fuel to run generators in order to keep their businesses open.

The demand for diesel has gone up 40%, and according to reports, oil companies are REFUSING to meet this demand.  Many businesses simply can’t operate under the tremendous strain.  Without diesel, fishing boats cannot operate, farmers cannot get their goods to market, and truck drivers cannot travel long distances.  In instances where there is diesel fuel available in one area, there may be no fuel available in another, therefore, some truck drivers and farmers are not able to get their goods to market because there is no assurance that they will be able to purchase the diesel fuel to return home. 

So, in one area, food and other commodities are piling up waiting for the fuel to be able to take them to market while in another area, people cannot get the food and commodities they need.  One fisherman said that his family would go bankrupt waiting to try to sell the fish, especially if they went bad and had to be thrown out or given away.  At the other end, he said that family members who were to receive some of the fish that he can’t deliver will go hungry.

As we keep hearing lately and have been hearing for decades, everything is dependent on other things.  Energy and energy sources are not stand-alone issues.  To see how interconnected they are, one only look at what India is going through.  Hopefully that will motivate lawmakers and others to HURRY up and find a short-term and long-term solution.

For decades there has been an ongoing debate as to whether nuclear energy is a viable alternative to other forms of energy.  With the advent of nuclear power plants came concerns – some justifiable – about accidents and other issues that could harm people and the environment, especially those near the power plants themselves.

Then there were accidents in places around the globe – including the United States – and the fear that came along with the accidents, as well as the myths that were perpetrated as a result.

As our fuel and energy sources have waxed and waned over the years the debate about nuclear power has continued.  With the fuel crisis in full bore, we are hearing more and more about alternative forms of energy these days.

Natural gas has been touted as one form of energy that can be used to replace oil that is so scarce and so expensive.  The problem with that is that the United States gathers much of its natural gas from Canada, and Canada has put the U.S. on notice that there is little natural gas that they can spare due to having to tap into their own reserves to keep their industries moving forward.  In addition,
there have also been huge price hikes in the cost of natural gas, making it ineffective to use in many businesses.

Natural gas has been used to replace electricity but this drove the prices up and has caused over a million jobs to be cut in order to keep up.  The cost of natural gas has risen 93% just since last August.  In addition, natural gas is a finite resource.  North America – particularly the United States – has not been increasing its natural gas production, and with Canada having said that it cannot spare much, if any, of its natural gas, the United States needs to come up with a new commodity – fast.

This is where nuclear energy may or may not come in.  Researchers suggest that nuclear energy would be a good source of energy for electricity, while using other types of energy for other needs.  There is debate about how this would work and whether this would work.

Regardless of what the result may be, it is clear that we need to look into all types of energy – including nuclear energy – in trying to address and solve the fuel and energy crisis before it is too late.