As a groundswell of support in this country is building for the development of biofuels as an alternative energy source, Americans are measuring the strengths and weaknesses of every available option. Among these, of all the first-generation biofuels in the U.S., veggie oil is arguably the cleanest, easiest and most straightforward to implement. However, it doesn’t have the field to itself. Quite the contrary — its virtues may actually work against it.
I find it interesting that the majority of our diesel fuel is refined from crude oil. Diesel is the best fuel for reducing our dependence on foriegn oil. It can be made from coal, natural gas, crude oil, or any oil producing plant. Europe has been refining diesel from coal for years, Why not America? Maybe because big oil runs the government! Even if diesel fuel stays at $3.00/gal I would rather know my energy dollars are going to West Virgina, Wyoming, Oklahoma, or Texas instead of Iran, Venezuela or other countries that hate our guts. Woundn't the billons of dollars spent on oil to foriegn counties help our economy if we kept those dollars at home? Wouldn't using coal and/or natural gas to refine diesel make good business sense, since we have most of the worlds coal right here in North America and a glut of natural gas? All the easy oil is gone. We need to look for ways to produce the energy we need for the economy to prosper without depending on foriegn countries. It is a matter of national security. I hope we don't let big oil interests run this great country into the ground.
Loading ...
Green Energy, Part 2: Ethanol and Biodiesel
Posted by: Andrew K. Burger July 20, 2006 05:00 AMAs a groundswell of support in this country is building for the development of biofuels as an alternative energy source, Americans are measuring the strengths and weaknesses of every available option. Among these, of all the first-generation biofuels in the U.S., veggie oil is arguably the cleanest, easiest and most straightforward to implement. However, it doesn’t have the field to itself. Quite the contrary — its virtues may actually work against it.
Even if diesel fuel stays at $3.00/gal I would rather know my energy dollars are going to West Virgina, Wyoming, Oklahoma, or Texas instead of Iran, Venezuela or other countries that hate our guts. Woundn't the billons of dollars spent on oil to foriegn counties help our economy if we kept those dollars at home?
Wouldn't using coal and/or natural gas to refine
diesel make good business sense, since we have most of the worlds coal right here in North America and a glut of natural gas?
All the easy oil is gone. We need to look for ways to produce the energy we need for the economy to prosper without depending on foriegn countries. It is a matter of national security. I hope we don't let big oil interests run this great country into the ground.