The focus on energy independence should not be squandered, and the new President can take ownership of the issue by reframing the argument as a call for “endependence” .

Endependence is energy independence that ends dependence on polluting fuels.

How about a federal rule for solar feed in tarrifs at market rates?

Sign the Declaration of Endependence at http://endependence.info/declaration .

Show us how you save energy. We will copy your great ideas.

Perhaps it would be wise if could choose the most obvious cost saving item on the list and build a business case from there. The item suggesting solar roofs on federal buildings maybe an interesting item. If the government was prepared to make a 3.5 Billion dollar investment in this technology I am sure we could show a cost saving over a 10 year time frame in addition to the company(s) who were awarded the contract would be able to enhance the technology and reduce the cost of manufacture. This would lower the time frame to achieve a cost return on investment for private organizations to invest and open the technology to others.

Where are the rocks? If they are only near the surface in Oman, it does not seem very practical to do this.

We’ve been debating about when to replace our only car – an 18 year old Honda. We commute via mass transit and so use it for errands and visiting family less than an hour away. It still gets good mileage and is well-maintained, and we fill the tank about once a month. But no doubt it burns more oil and whatever, just because seals and things in general age.

Our conclusion is that for us the environmental hit from materials extraction, transportation and manufacture for a new vehicle significantly outweighs the benefit of a cleaner vehicle.

So, with luck we will wait for a true plug-in electric car (or maybe local car-sharing). And hope that we will build the kind of national electric grid to efficiently distribute solar and wind-generated electricity for it and – ultimately – the only real long-range solution for a growing global industrial civilization, solar power collected in orbit (built from lunar and asteroidal resources).

Rebates and tax credits don’t work. Go to a federal Green Credit Card.

Issue a second 2% credit card for solar hot air collector systems – after the homes are insulated. Turn the furnace off.

The next 2% credit card is for residential and transportation photovoltaic power. Put some real money into the smart grid so we don’t all need a room full of toxic batteries. Charge your electric car from your solar panels.

The final 2% credit card is for a small fully-electric car. Get a simple, small commuter car on the road by the end of 2009. Forget about hybrids. $25 billion for more of the same? What a joke. I’d rather ride an electric bicycle on a bicycle road.

[Note to self: Proofread twice before posting.]

Olivine weathering:

ftp://ftp.geog.uu.nl/ pub/ posters/ 2008/ Let_the_earth_help_us_to_save_the_earth-Schuiling_June2008.pdf
http://www.ecn.nl/ docs/ library/ report/ 2003/ c03016.pdf

Peridotite weathering:
“Rocks Could Be Harnessed To Sponge Vast Amounts Of Carbon Dioxide From Air”:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/ releases/ 2008/ 11/ 081105180813.htm

My cost estimates for this range from $38 per tonne of CO2 downwards to a half or quater of that figure.