shigley,

Infrastructure is exactly the key to large scale E85 adoption. First the equipment must be certified by UL or other safety standard. Next would be a significant incentive to install a pump (or convert a pump) at major gas stations.

Government leverage is needed here as oil is not anxious to lend franchise space to the competition. During the gas shortage of the early 80s, thousands of diesel pumps were installed in short order. The same approach could work for E85 - perhaps utilizing mobile storage tanks, avoiding underground installation costs.

If there is a demand for the fuel and a mandate from Congress to get it into distribution - there will be a way.

You are right about the fuel consumption outside transport - those transitions will take longer.

Donald,
See SA 1547, SA 1586 establishing $500M for geothermal through 2012. Please turn caps lock off in future.

I hear little discussion of the fast neutron, air cooled, pebble bed nuclear reactors. Uranium supply, safety, security and waste storage problems can be solved with this technology.

Also nanotech batteries and all electric vehicles need serious incentives.

Isn't it time for a Manhattan style project.

In the mean time employ conservation.

We love our Prius and well-source heat pump.

I am very much impressed by the comments submitted regarding the U.S. Senate energy bills. I thought it might be appropriate to submit a copy of my recent e-mail to Froma Harrop as follows:

Dear Froma Harrop:

I just read your article "Sticking it to OPEC". "NOPEC" is just another example of smoke and mirrors generated by our "leaders" in Washington DC; another example of how our elected officials successfully continue to mislead the general public by diverting their attention away from the source of our real problem. It seems to me that these constant diversions have been, and continue to be, orchestrated by our Big American Oil companies.

For example, I listened to Senator Breaux sound off on CNBC television June 19, 2007 about how ethanol from corn cannot solve our energy problem and that we seriously need continued use of fossil fuel; in particular crude oil. (No mention of course of Global Warming and our serious need to reduce emissions. And of course, no mention that the biggest threat to our national security is our dependence on Mideast oil.) Shame on Breaux. Members of our Senate are supposed to oversee our Executive and Congressional Branches of Government to assure everything is being done ethically and in the best interests of all of us citizens.

I am convinced that people like Breaux are financed and controlled by people like Rex Tillerson of EXXON who currently emphasize how ridiculous it is to depend upon corn to provide sufficient amounts of ethanol. That is supposed to convince us that more drilling in Alaska and other places like that is proper; and that we should continue to import crude oil from Mideast countries.

We have a serious communication problem infecting our entire United States. Somehow, it has to get across to our general public that it never was intended for corn to be our only source of ethanol. Further, that it is entirely possible and viable that the eventual use of ethanol from cellulose, and biodiesel made from things like soy beans, will replace crude oil imports from the Mideast countries; especially when utilized in addition to plug-in electric cars, wind generated electricity, geothermal generated electricity, solar generated electricity, etc. When that happens, we will no longer need to maintain war ships and military personnel in and around the Persian Gulf. Hydrogen is another alternative to fossil fuels that will be popular in about ten years or so. We already have buses and cars running around on hydrogen in the U.S.

It makes me angry that our U.S. big oil people can so easily pull the wool over our citizens eyes while concurrently raking in obscene profits.

My grandchildren ask me what is happening because it seems to them that it is unfair for gasoline to cost so much. I tell them that it is because there are people in our country that are so powerful and greedy that they do not care what is fair; that the only thing that matters to them is that they maintain their power and wealth. I also tell them that there is no need to give up hope because there is a grass roots movement in our United States that our media is not properly reporting on television. I tell them about our Governors' American Coalition for Ethanol (www.ethanol.org) and our National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition(www.e85fuel.com) and about Companies like BlueFire(www.bluefireethanol.com:80/) and many others, all part of a great big ongoing national movement that eventually will result in a massive change of power and control in our beloved country. The transition is happening now and it is similar to how a long time ago Cattle Barons wielded power until the railroads took over, and then later with our industrialized development, the steel Barons took over, and then finally how the oil Barons took over.

It is interesting how no one listened to Dwight Eisenhower when he spoke publicly and warned all of us of the great danger of the integration of U.S.
industry and U.S. government (successfully sustained by industrial lobbyists). It is interesting how no one listened to Jimmy Carter when he spoke publicly and warned all of us of the terrible danger and threat to U.S. security caused by our dependence upon Mideast countries oil. In both instances, our U.S. media remained silent. Why? While deductive logic is not available to us, inductive logic extrapolated from history and current events dictates that the media was and still is controlled by whoever is in power in our great nation. I believe that our United States is still the best place to live in the world. Maybe that doesn't say much for the rest of the world. I pray that our transition from fossil fuels to alternative fuels will generate a new and healthier government structure and a nation of proud and happy citizens that will enjoy a Federal Government that works for them.

You stated in your article that "One thing Americans don't need right now is a ratcheting up of international tensions." You also fear OPEC may "retaliate by removing their investments from the United States." Further, OPEC "could replace oil sales to the United States with increased business in energy-hungry China and India." Obviously you have no knowledge of what China and India and other countries like Spain and Brazil are doing in the way of pursuing alternative fuels to get out from under their dependence on foreign oil. Brazil already reached the point of zero importation of oil! Fossil fuels as we know them today are on their way out. The currently ongoing transition is global!

The only reason why we in the U.S. do not have an intelligent energy policy is because it threatens the current power and control of those who have too much influence and power over our media and elected leaders in Washington DC. Our American Oil industry knows that we have reached peak oil and that alternative fuels are inevitable. In the face of that, however, they will persist in pursuing every last profitable dollar they can squeeze out of imported oil from OPEC...their greatest cash cow! It does not matter to them what is going on in Iraq and Afghanistan and that our effort in Iraq is costing our country too many precious lives. The $11 or $12 billion per month expended in Iraq could be better spent by expediting development and distribution of alternative fuels at home in the U.S. We could have an intelligent energy policy! If only our media would start reporting on what is really going on in America in the way of alternative fuels. The reporting should be daily because there are successful developments occurring daily: Flexible Fuel vehicles that run on 85% ethanol; race cars running on 100% ethanol; biodiesel refineries under construction; city busses running on hydrogen; hybrid SUV's; an electric car that from a parked position can reached 60 miles per hour in four seconds, speed to 120 miles per hour and travel 200 miles without a re-charge; ethanol made from cellulose obtained from our garbage land-fills; alternative fuel for jet planes; etc., etc. Read Energy Industry Today (http://energy.einnews.com:80/) and get yourself up to speed. Then please do what you can to enlighten the people of our great country with your intelligent journalism. It just may result in intelligent energy policy.

Very truly yours,

Tom Caracciolo

Anacortes, Washington

I will vote for Giuliani or the republican candidate because the republicans are the most agressive about making this country energy independent. Let's face it the biggest problem facing this country is our dependence on the islamic terrorists and despots oil. The fact is we have been sending them trillions of dollars which they are now using to build nuclear weapons with which they will use to commit acts of nuclear terrorism in the U.S. and Europe. We really need to get behind CTL and BTL, Bio-Fuels,increased domestic drilling and Nuclear power to power PHEV's and EV's in a major way. No more NIMBYism or derailing any of these technologies people. We need real legislature that will make a difference: Loan guarantees for the construction of CTL,BTL and Bio-Fuels facilities. Huge tax incentives to everyone involved and fast track permitting. No more focus on any fascist carbon tax unless you get rid of the income tax at the same time.
Think about this, all of the oil that we currently import on long term contracts, we will sell that oil to EU,india and china and it will help us gain tremendous influence and when we ramp up renewable bio fuels from biomass we will export that also.
U.S. energy independence is a powerful form of economic warfare, it will collapse the economies of our enemies and will be a major step in ending islamic terrorism!