Ethanol... why!?!

[bkelly]

Maybe it's just me, but I think we should lock all the car manufacturers and oil companies in a room and say "don't come out until you've solved the problem." Right now the manufacturers are going in all different directions for alternatives. Some are gas/hybird, diesel/hybird, bio diesel, hydrogen, electric, E85, etc, etc. They need to narrow it down. Energy companies can not support infrastructure and logistics for all those types. Can you imagine pulling up to the pumps and there are 10 of them!?! You can not have many types of fuel and have it cheaper than gas. This is why you need the oil companies. They have the infrastructure, distribution and of course money to support a change of some sorts.

I don't think ethanol is the permanent fix we need. It's based on agriculture which is just as volatile as oil. Look at the flooding now. Iowa lost 20% of it's corn crop. If you are adding 75% more ethanol as you are now (we already have 10%), you need every last bit of corn/sugar cane/etc. you can produce.

Right now we on top of a bubble. People are panicking. We are in no danger of running out of oil. There is no shortage, you can still buy gas. I think a lot of the problem we have now is good old fashioned american greed. Both on the consumer side with giant SUVs/trucks and gas sucking cars people can't afford and with investors manipulating the markets.

[Carl Beck]

Did any of you watch the "House Energy and Global Warming Committee" hearings last week on C-Span? The subject was "Oil Supply and Demand".

Every American should be watching these hearings - they are simply AMAZING...

I'll give my recap:

Five panel witnesses... all recognized experts in their fields. From Major Universities, Think Tanks, and even an investment banker. All pretty much either said the same thing, or give testimony that supported one another's facts, statements of facts or positions. The single exception was the representative from the Sierra Club - who did not refute any of the sworn testimony - but simply did not want to drill for oil anywhere, nor build nuclear energy plants anywhere, nor build refineries anywhere, etc etc.

All that testified agreed that:

- we (the USA) have plenty of oil, coal, natural gas etc. etc.

- we can't expect OPEC to drill for more oil, or produce more when we refuse to do so ourselves.

- speculation is driving prices up currently, but it's a bubble that will burst... all agreed that the laws passed during the Clinton Administration, should be reversed - to limit the speculators again.

- about 20% of our imported oil comes from the OPEC producers ... 80% from friendly countries like Canada and Mexico etc. Imported oil accounts for about 45% of our use, so OPEC accounts for about 9% of our import oil.

- all agreed that the US needs no one single answer - we should be doing everything.. building nuclear power plants, using Wind and Solar, drilling our shale oil in Montana, opening up Alaska, drilling off shore (the Cuban's are already 45 miles off the coast of Miami, and so are the Chinese). Using energy more efficiently and conserving where-ever we can.

- all agreed that the US has enough domestic supply of oil, coal and natural gas to supply our current energy demand for about 100 years.

-All agreed that our biggest problem is politics in Washington DC. Two of the witnesses stated that bluntly, openly and honestly to the Representatives on the Committee!! I've never seen that happen as directly in any House or Senate Committee Hearings - IT WAS AMAZING!!

HATS OFF TO: Amy Mayer Jaffe of Rice University and Ms. Hubbert of the 21st Century Energy Committee. They had the BALLS to tell it like it is, in sworn testimony!! They said both Democrat and Republican alike were causing our current PAIN and it MOST STOP!!.

- All agreed that there are NO US OIL COMPANIES... only Global Corporations finding and recovering oil where-ever it is the least expensive for THEM. Our laws, passed for political reasons, make it VERY Expensive to operate in the US. That means a huge outflow of US Dollars to countries around the world... rather than circulating here in the US Economy.

- All seemed aware that while global average temp's had gone up over the past 30 years - they also all knew that the average temps had not gone up at all over the past eight years...

Though-out the hearings - the Chairman of the Committee, seemed to completely ignore all/any sworn testimony related to facts - and every statement out of his mouth simply repeated the Political Propaganda and Slogans his party outlined as talking points...

Presented with fact and figures, compiled by the Countries leading Geologists and Scientists, from the Countries leading Universities and Research Lab.'s - - that proved the Chairman's statements completely wrong - he still kept repeating them - and bashing the "current administration"... Even when told that laws passed during the Clinton Administration were far more favorable to the Oil Companies and Wall Street...

I'm telling you - his performance was absolutely sickening.... Rep. Markey from MA. IMHO if the people that elected him had watched this they would throw him out of office...

The only "Problem" we have is the politicians in D.C. - all of them...

FWIW,

Carl B.

[Mat M]

...I think we should lock all the car manufacturers and oil companies in a room and say "don't come out until you've solved the problem."

It has already happened. GM sold Texaco the rights to large NiMH batteries, Chevron bought Texaco. Chevron WILL NOT license the production of large NiMHbatteries, pure and simple.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel-metal_hydride_battery#Patent_encumbrance_of_NiMH_batteries

[Carl Beck]

Watch this:

Basically the same thing that Congress was told...

FWIW,

Carl B.

[Carl Beck]

You can watch the C-Span broadcast hearings I outlined here:

http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=205931-1

see if your perception is the same as mine... Takes one and half hours...

Carl B.