The Senate is now grappling with our nation's addiction to oil. And like any addict, the country is finding there is no pain-free way to break free.
One example is renewable fuels. The Senate plan would triple production from 8.5 billion gallons of ethanol and other biofuels in 2008, setting a goal of 36 billion by 2022. No question that would help ease the nation's reliance on overseas sources of oil. However, it would come at a steep cost to taxpayers in the form of tax incentives for ethanol production.
Also, food producers warn the cost of corn is rising as more production is being used for ethanol. That means ranchers are paying more to feed their beef. The same goes for poultry and colas and candy. In fact, the near doubling of corn prices in the last year is one reason food prices have risen more than 7% so far this year.
Anyone who wants to understand the trade-offs involved in breaking the addiction to oil should tune in to the Senate energy debate.
Comments
hydrogen fuel power plants and in cars. this would make no shortages on crops or harm the enviroment "THE REAL SOLUTION" using imported oil is also "FUNDING" the radical groups we are fighting!! tell that to the oil speculators the"fear premium" on oil is helping the wrong groups and hurting our own country! don't they see that? WAKE UP !!!!
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Senate energy debate, a battle of wits with unarmed opponents and NBR seldom questions or gives info to the debaters. I doubt our polititions could dare talk against waste when they are promoters of it. Business reports rarely mention fructose percentages of corn for ethanol conversion, they have the dummies believing ethanol uses all the corn, imagine that!!! Jerry
Biofuels are nothing more than a grand hoax
as Dr. James Lovelock who provided us with the
Gaia hypothesis has recently said. Other areas of the world which have tried this have been unsuccessful, namely Europe. They have largely returned to nuclear energy in many of the western
European countries. Biofuels must compete with
feed for livestock and to augment the diets of
malnourished people arond the world, namely China with its 1.3 billion people. As Dr. Lovelock says
the safety concerns of nuclear energy are completely overblown and the disposal issues of
nuclear waste have been resolved in western Europe. As long as the American public continue
to react in such a negative way to nuclear energy
our carbon emissions will continue to skyrocket
and the future of planet earth will be put in ever
greater peril.