I've been doing some thinking about this whole energy thing and it seems to me that this complicated problem lends it self to a not-so-complicated solution.  It just calls for a comprehensive energy plan.  Of course, this means government interference in private business, which I am generally opposed to, but in this case I think it is warranted.

First, government has got to to give alternative energy folks some breathing room. There are several alternative sources of energy that are economically viable at oil prices of $100 a barrel.  However, given the volitility of oil prices, and the vast resources required to start these alternative energy plants, the risk is too great. Now I'm not proposing a subsidy.  What I propose is a tax.  Basically, every barrel of conventional oil sold in the US would have to sell for at least $100.  If the price falls below that level, a tax is automatically imposed to bring it back up.  This gives the energy companies the stability they need to invest the sums necessary to bring new energy sources online.

Secondly, we need to vastly increase our electric generating capacity and the infrastructure to deliver this power.  Why electricity?  Because we have most of the infrastructure in place already, and because electricity is relatively easily converted to most forms of energy use.  Heating, cooling, light, even transportation can be powered by electricity.  How do we do this?  Well nuclear power is the most reasonable method of generating electricity so we obviously have to make building nuclear power plants more attractive. 

Finally, we need to develop some of the other proven energy sources that we have.  I'm not talking about wind, solar, geothemermal or any of the other green dreams.  I'm thinking more in terms of coal.  I know coal is dirty, coal is evil, coal is also the most abundent source of chemical energy on the planet.  Coal doesn't have to be burned to produce energy.  The technology to convert coal to gas or liquid has existed since WWI.  It has just not been economically practical.  As an added side benefit, the by products of converting coal to liquid can be used to produce electricity, reducing the costs even further.

Now some folks will scream that this is all well and good some 10 years down the road...but what about right now.  That is the truly beautiful part.  I do believe that this together with some incentives for the buying (not production) of electric or fuel cell vehicles could wean us off of foreign oil entirely.  If such a program were implemented quickly and forcefully, the oil producers would have very little choice but to increase production and reduce prices.  Basically, the handwriting would be on the wall that their product has a limited shelf life and they better sell while there is a market.  The floor on their prices would keep this from driving the alternative energy sources out of the market, while also ensuring that they would be priced out of the market themselves as the other forms of energy come online.

Seems simple enough to me.