The USA needs lots of energy infrastructure quickly, but MOST of this new infrastructure should be owned by the public to avoid the mistakes of the past.  We need to imitate nearly all of our world competitors.  Nobody does it like the US, because our way doesn’t work!  Our way pits public needs/fears against the profit motive of private ownership. All we get is ugly legal battles and substandard results.  Enough already.

The US needs to sell tax free, reasonable yield, federal ENERGY BONDS to pay for the needed infrastructure.  These bonds should only be available to US citizens who pay taxes in the US, and financial institutions that are registered in the US - no foreign owners that can throw a wrench into our plans.  After the first 5 years, let the proceeds from sales and services start paying back the bondholders.  Energy Bonds will do for this mess what War Bonds did for us in World War II.

NEEDS:

New clean coal power plants NOW, as soon as we can build them.

Nuclear power generating plants, as soon as we can build them - new design Light Water Reactors (LWR’s) and (proven for 50 years now) Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactors  (LMFBR’s).  LMFBR’s are a RENEWABLE(+) energy source, like wind/solar.

LMFBR’s as soon as we can build them.  They produce 20% more fuel than they are using to produce electric power - the excess can go to LWR’s.  WE can supply ALL USA electric needs (and LWR’s) for over 1000 years with no new mining - proven fact. LMFBR’s have been reliably operating since 1951 in the US and France. (See EBR II and PHENIX, which have generated reliably for over 30 years).

Strengthen the bulk power electricity transmission grid that moves BIG power from region to region, to avoid the blackouts and brownouts that will soon be commonplace - and to move NEW big power from where it can be best produced to where it is most needed.

ALL of these new facilities should be built on land already owned by the federal government, so that NIMBY interference will be effectively blunted.  Perfect sites are closed military facilities and energy/weapons research sites.

More electric power is CRITICAL to converting oil usage to electric usage.  We absolutely have to get the OIL needle out of our arm, or we will forever be in trouble.

 FIX DETAILS:

The Department of Transportation manages our transportation infrastructure, which is owned by the US PUBLIC!  DOT did not steal any turnpikes from anyone.  They strengthened the limited access highway system with PUBLICLY owned interstates.  That helps keep tolls in line, and has made ALL the products we buy less expensive by reducing delivery expense.  Construction and repair of the highways is done by contractors under DOT, and a lot of money goes into private payrolls every year.  The same would be true of DOE managed facilities.

The Department of Energy (DOE) needs to manage the ENERGY infrastructure that will be publicly owned.  DOE management should be assisted by, but not blocked by, the US EPA to assure that responsible practices  are employed during drilling, construction, and operation of ALL US PUBLIC owned facilities.  With the public owning the facilities, and paying for the environmental protection, there will be no "conflict of interest."  If the public wants green, they’ll pay for it - if they don’t want to pay for it - then it stops!  The same rules should apply for public/private.

US DOE (assisted by US EPA) will have to manage the construction and operation of publicly owned oil drilling rigs, public refineries, public coal power plants, new public small scale hydroelectric stations, publicly owned large scale clean coal facilities, and newer/safer nuclear plants - both the Light Water Reactor and Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactors.

The OILGOPOLY wants to start drilling on their 68 million acres.  The US government should issue those permits, but only if the oil company accepts two contract rules:

First, the permit for the private well would only be issued AFTER the company had successfully bid for a public well and has that public well producing acceptably (within a one year limit from start of drilling).  If a second private well is desired, then a second public well must be bid and activated, and so on. This factor will keep private wells from coming on line while the public wells "just don’t."  Business is business - that’s why contracts are needed.

Second, the oil company must agree to allow both a resident DOE and EPA inspector unfettered access to all aspects of the public well, and must allow a resident EPA inspector at the private well, also.  The nuclear industry has lived under this arrangement for decades.  Also, the EPA rules for both the public and private facilities should be the same. 

This level of EPA involvement ought to satisfy reasonable environmental concerns. 

This "FIX" will give the public the beginning of the energy independence it needs, provide lots of good jobs quickly, make a bunch of money for the oil companies working for the DOE and themselves, satisfy the environmentalists, provide quality investments for US persons and entities, and the PUBLIC will own the tools of its own energy future - no more to be held hostage by other countries or companies. 

This fix will work, and everybody wins.  How good is that?

Please help get this done by showing it to your politicians.  This country’s energy and economic future is too important to play partisan political games.  Thanks for reading this long piece.