Two words: ethanol refineries.

Producing the refineries would produce local jobs, maintaining the refineries would sustain local jobs, and active development in these refineries would encourage investment in an unsaturated ethanol market. One way or another, we're eventually going to need to stop relying on foreign markets for our oil needs.

Either more money needs to be spent on ethanol production and technology, or we're going to need to start tapping into some of our reserves. Until people quit whining about the damage drilling would do, we're going to need to find a better alternative to crude oil. With the price per barrel being what it is, I'm surprised we haven't seen more thought going into this...