Legislative Actions to Mandate Change

Part of the problem businesses face is an uneven playing field. So although many builders and businesses would love to become more energy efficient they are actually counter incented by our system to do so. When your business runs on credit and struggles to make payrole each month, then investing in a new or risky technology just is not feasable.

The way to overcome that is for the government to establish minimal levels of performance so that all of the players in a given business are opperating with the same ground rules. We see this in practice all over with safety standards in automobiles and with building codes.

For some reason policitians grasp that faulty wiring kills people, perhaps because they can see the building burn down. Why can't they see that being dependent on foreign oil is just as bad?

So I'm just wondering if anybody has any ideas on the type of legislation that could be created to give builders an incentive to build greener building or other industries to switch to green technologies, besides tax breaks or subsidies? The nice thing about raising the codes is that it may slow an industry down a little, but it forces them into a new state of existance rapidly.Necessity is the Mother of Invention.

Perhaps we could mandate that all automobiles sold in the United States after Jan 1 2012 be an alternate fuel car such as CNG, Electric or Fuel cell? Adapt or perish.

What do you think?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Fred Mars on December 19, 2008 at 11:19pm

Wind, sun, waves, and electric cars and trucks. That's what I think!

Permalink Reply by F. Andrew Pickens on December 20, 2008 at 7:30am

Andrew, Andrew Pickens Here, The answer to your question is simple....soon we will be FORCED to build as you and I and so many others want. The "government" then will have no other choice. The road we were heading down is a dead end.
Most of the mandates automakers and government are stating are in the too distant future. The technology is already available. Re-tool now! The mandate could be NO MORE GAS ONLY CARS WILL BE PRODUCED starting now. The repercussions will be far less the sooner the better! The government now holds all the cards with the bail-out for the greedy automakers. The automakers can no longer dictate what we drive.

Permalink Reply by Andrew Little on December 20, 2008 at 9:04am

And I thought you guys were going to give me a hard time about saying 2012 for No Gas Cars. What was I thinking? It is nice to be part of a group that is more whacked out/passionate about this than I am.

If we are going to be the Energy Party we will have to clearly define exactly what actions we will take, what laws we will put forward and what positions we will hold. Knowing what we want to do is wonderful, but knowing how we are going to do it is even better.

There is a saying in sales "A Confused Customer Does Not Buy". We need to Sell the Pickens Plan not just to those that are not cunfused, like us, but to those that are still confused. And I have a feeling that there are a lot of vested interests out there such as Big Oil that will do their very best to keep our politicains and the American people confused in order to stop us.

The Devil is always in the Details.

Permalink Reply by Fred Mars on December 20, 2008 at 9:50am

The term is FUD. Fear, uncertainty, doubt. It is also how Microsoft has conducted business for years, and why so many law suits have been brought against the software giant. And you are right, we must educate the masses, and not just murmur about changes and complain about the way things are, amongst ourselves.

If the auto makers do not start producing energy efficient vehicles, and sell them at a reasonable price, they will fail no matter how much money is thrown at them. Taking away the executive toys, streamlining production, selling off revenue losing subsidiary businesses, all are far short of the mark.

The GM Volt is the only American automobile that has an honest chance of turning the company around, but only if they can sell them at a price America can afford to pay. If any business cannot produce a product or service at an affordable price, they lose money and go belly up. That is a free market, capitalist economy. Give consumers an affordable product that they want to own, and they will be waiting line to purchase it. Apple does it, Nintendo does it. We can do it too with alternative energy.

Permalink Reply by C H Fisher on December 20, 2008 at 4:25pm

All of the above is true. But there's even more truth to tell. GM has organized labor to contend with. The Far East doesn't. I am pro US labor and pro US management, which may sound illogical to you. You may ask me, why don't I pick a side?

The Far East's laborers are not organized, yet. So they don't have all the benefits that have made US auto workers a part of the middle class. (middle class according to Obama's $50,000 income number, not McCain's $5 million income number). Forcing upper management to "share the wealth" has created a whole new class, a middleclasse, that is rapidly disappearing. See http://www.lcurve.org

But the far east doesn't yet do that kind of sharing. So the playing field is not level.

In case one thinks that a level playing field is desirable, consider this: Every BUYER wants free market forces in full operation. (And every corporate BUYER feels the same way). Every SELLER conspires his best to tilt the playing field SOMEHOW so that he can make just a little more profit or better compete against his competitors. No SELLER loves a level playing field if he has the power to tilt it in his favor! We only complain when we get hurt not when we hurt others.

You and I are both buyers and sellers and we speak with forked tongues (out of both sides of our mouths). When a person is powerless to "negotiate" or "tilt the playing field" toward one's own favor, then one can only PAY the asking price, and risk not being competitive.

So what's the solution to this eternal problem? Well, every worker all over the world must belong to the same union. And this union must include all management, as well.

Since this can never happen -- and we would never agree to let it happen -- we are stuck with whatever degree of so called "free markets" we have. And the present state of those "free markets" will definitely NOT be at the same state tomorrow. It's a constantly moving state of affairs. No one wants a super huge central planning committee to force fairness everywhere. No one wants a socialist run economy where people pretend to work and employers pretend to pay them. But free markets are rough. And many people get hurt by them.

If people all over the world had some identical minimum standards of benefits plus competitive pay, then all companies would tend to drift down to that same minimum level in order try to be competitive. Since this will never happen, companies will move wherever they have to go to get cheap enough labor so they can afford to stay in business.

Let Toyota or Honda pay their workers health care like GM used to and see who's competitive. Better yet, let's have national health care. Who am I kidding? We all think we are above average and deserve more than the next guy... How can this be possible?

It's also true that not all managements are equally efficient at running companies. In this case, all COSTS of doing business having been equalized, including labor's health care and retirement packages, let the better run company win...

Permalink Reply by Jim on December 20, 2008 at 7:35am

That would be a good start but I can hear the gas companies and maybe the battery companies roaring. And he who roars loudest gets heard. The people need a lobby for themselves so we can be heard. Change is expensive but hopefully by then they will have done enough so it won't be too bad. I just hope with the lower gas prices - for now - that people won't go back to buying SUVs, big pickups etc. If they don't maybe the car companies will get the message and build smaller cars that are more gas efficient.

Permalink Reply by Andrew Little on December 20, 2008 at 9:15am

I remember riding in the car as a little kid and seeing a sign that said "Littering - $1,000 Fine" and hearing somebody say "How dare the government try to dictate to us what we can and can not do?". And I remember my dad getting angry and replying "This is my land, and they are throwing their garbage in it. They are littering MY yard. How dare they?"

Back in those days if people went to Burger King they would just throw the bags out of their windows when they were done. And people just let it happen and said nothing. Today if you saw somebody do that you would stop and pick the garbae up and then follow them home and hand it to them and have some words with them.

The expectation has changed. What is acceptable and what is unacceptable has changed.

In our country "The Government" is "The People". We need to change the expectation so that in not so many years from now people will look at gas guzzling cars with shame and say to themselves "I can't believe we used to drive those things around".

How can we change expectations?

Permalink Reply by F. Andrew Pickens on December 20, 2008 at 9:32am

Andrew, we think so much alike....many times I have seen someone litter and been motivated to pick up the litter and stop them and ask if they want it back. One guy said he was creating a job for someone else to pick up trash. DUH!
G'vmt of, by and for the people of the U.S. A return to constitutionality.
People cannot buy what they cannot get, so good bye gas guzzeling SUV.'s.

Permalink Reply by F. Andrew Pickens on December 20, 2008 at 9:38am

Change is expensive. So, what are the alternatives? More of the same seems more expensive. Peolpe are talking about billions of $ as though money grows on trees. Actually the presses at the GPO are like trees, are'nt they?
Change is a UNIVERSAL LAW. Everything is in a state of flux. You can choose to be active in this change or be dragged along with it. Anyway, change will happen with or without you. Kicking and screaming or going with the flow, you are part of change whether you accept it or not!
GET RID OF LOBBIESTS!
SO open your own BATTERY PLANT! Build re-charge stations, for vehicles. We are at the forefront of opportunity, limited to our own resorcefulness.

Permalink Reply by Kelly Crosby on December 22, 2008 at 9:01am

Sell ideas to the SUPPLIERS who are out there looking to diversify after the automakers go down.
How many machine shops, diecast shops, and tooling shops are dependent on auto manufacturing? The good ones began diversifying years ago - but to other engines. My husband's company, Walker DieCast, diversified but to other similiar companies - Caterpillar, and boat engines.

These are working, ready to adapt, companies that are basically ready, willing, and able to produce but need contracts for product! Find them and sell it to them. They have the space, machines, people -IN PLACE and desperate for work. They can re-tool, re-outfit much cheaper than starting from scratch! They have the quality programs in place that are usually required in manufacturing of most all products. Production is production. My husband has done oil field equipment, aircraft equipment, and now engines - to a good engineer, creating something from raw materials is the same process regardless of the end product. Use what we have...

And they are hungry NOW.

Permalink Reply by Andrew Little on December 22, 2008 at 11:45am

Absolutely. You have just hit the nail on the head.

Perhaps this is the forum where we bring all of the stakeholders together and make this happen. I certainly hope so.

But we need our legislators behind us to make sure they do not outsource the manufacturing of the energy equipment we need to turn our economy around.

It is a solid manufacturing middle class that made this country the economic powerhouse that it is. We need to stop playing with money (banking, insurance, stocks) and start making things. It is that simple.

Permalink Reply by Fred Mars on December 20, 2008 at 10:06am

Smaller cars? No SUVs or big pickup trucks? Did you ever try commuting with three other large construction workers or loggers? With all the tools and equipment that I carry in my little pickup truck, which by the way, still gets about 20MPG, I could not do that in a Geo Metro or in a Cooper Mini. And how about that 60 foot long semi that is bringing up oranges and other fruits and vegetable from California to Oregon, Washington, and the Northwest Territories? How do you get them to be small? Or are you suggesting that just the aware segment (us) will buy and drive small, uncomfortable, inconvenient vehicles, so we can do our part to save fuel?

No my friend, I do not agree that we all must make such ridiculous sacrifice when the oil execs fly in Gulfstream jets, drive around in $100,000.00+ luxury vehicles that get 18MPG downhill with the wind pushing.

Just say no to fuel power and go all electric. Electric drive, electric power steering and brakes, electric climate control. In every era of change there are winners and losers. As I stated in another post, horses weren't replaced by the trains and autos, they just found less importance in transportation. The computers didn't put accountants out of work, they created a whole new economy of hardware and software engineering.

Just as indoor plumbing replaced the outhouse, the electric car will replace the gas and diesel belchers. If Chrysler, Ford, and GM cannot build vehicles we want, someone else will, and they will be profitable and the big three will fade into the sunset.