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Posted: 9:30 AM- Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer says the nation's addiction to oil can be overcome, but it will take resolve from Americans.
And, he says, that includes a willingness to spend more for alternative energy.
Until that happens, the plain-spoken Democratic governor says, American troops will have to be stationed in the Middle East for generations.
Schweitzer met with Utah Democrats this morning to explain his hard facts of energy.
Iran, he says, easily can cut off the flow of oil to the West, skyrocketing the cost of energy. "It would cripple the entire world," he said. "We'd be in a hell of a pickle."
"As long as we are dependent on that oil, we will have the next generation - and the next - in Kuwait protecting that oil."
Schweitzer, who is pushing his state forward in developing "clean and green" energy, including wind and coal gasification, is in Salt Lake City for the National Governors Association's three-day energy summit.
Although alternative energy and clean coal-burning technologies will initially cost significantly more, Schweitzer says, "It's cheaper than war."