Fossil Fuels Can Save the Country : Millions of Jobs

How foolish is this - believing that energy production from fossil fuels will create jobs and build industrial infrastructureure. Why would we thinks this when we have wind, solar and biofuels producing 2% of our energy needs? That should be enough, right? It feels like it should work, and if it feels right, it must be right. Saving the planet should be enough for anyone.

That this thinking, and past achievements of progressives like Mr Obama and his agenda, has driven millions into poverty which is not a good thing, but then 'those people' will just have to endure the pain of their betters knowing what's best for the country. Best example of this policy is the coal industry.

That coal porduces more then 40% of our electircty isn't important, what's important is we have to move away from fossil fuels that are bad for the planet, this includes natural gas and nuclear as well. Nuclear power is just to scary. It just feels bad.

With electric rates on the rise and with no end in sight, with gas prices set to go over the edge along with food prices, what were those people thinking when they voted to insure our demise by reelecting the guy that brought on this nightmare in the first place?

Oil, Gas and Coal Can Prime the Jobs Pump
Source: Mark P. Mills and Yevgeniy Feyman, "Oil, Gas, and Coal Can Prime the Jobs Pump. Which States Will Benefit?" Manhattan Institute, October 2012.

November 8, 2012
America needs jobs, and needs them soon. The financial crisis of 2008 destroyed 8.4 million jobs. Since then, through a combination of public and private sector initiatives, only 4.4 million jobs have been added. The hydrocarbon sector (oil, gas and coal) alone could add over 4 million more jobs in the near future, say Mark P. Mills, a senior fellow, and Yevgeniy Feyman, a research associate, at the Manhattan Institute.

Policies that take advantage of the abundance of hydrocarbon can spark widespread employment growth.

•Ten million Americans are currently employed directly and indirectly in businesses connected to oil, natural gas and coal production.
•Hydrocarbon jobs ripple throughout the economy.
•For every hydrocarbon related job, six jobs are added in sectors from manufacturing to information services.
•By extension, in at least 20 states, jobs from hydrocarbon expansion equal one-fifth to three-fourth of all individuals counted as currently unemployed or underemployed.

Hydrocarbon jobs cannot be the sole solution to the nation's economic dilemma. But, they reflect the most promising opportunity for near-term jobs with minimum public interventions.

•The economic benefits that come from privately-financed expansions in domestic production would generate at least $2 trillion.
•In terms of monetary to social equivalence, each hydrocarbon job, on average, brings in $500,000 of societal benefit.

In the coming two decades, the U.S. Department of Energy observes that oil, gas and coal will supply 60 percent to 80 percent of world growth.

•Currently, 80 percent of U.S. and global energy needs are delivered by hydrocarbons.
•Barely 2 percent of contemporary energy consumption is met by green alternatives (solar, wind and biofuels).

Mills and Feyman insist we know where to dig, drill, build and ship, and can create millions of jobs using new technologies. Thus, the next important step is to implement policies that boost domestic production.