The Clean Energy Scam

[omnispace]

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1725975,00.html?imw=Y

This article talks about problems with using corn to make ethanol, and how it can actually do more harm than good.  This should be a caution to all energy researchers, to think through the consequences of using new technologies and try to mitigate side effects and risk of harm.

omnispace

[Chad]

looks like evebody is jumping on the "clean" fuel bandwagon without much thought to the long term concequences.

[supersam]

@all,
that is a blatant attempt at oil company propoganda at best.  maytbe you should consider the fact that the us government was paying farmers not to plant to prop up the corn price.  not that there was not enough corn to do both.

lol
sam

[GeoscienceStudent]

When you consider the amount of petroleum, coal, and gas, it looks like there's not much available, but it appears there is tar sands, shale oil and several other options to fossil fuels that are in large supply in the US.  Now I know about the shale oil, being 60% of world's supply in US, 1/3 in Green River Valley area.  I've heard possible amounts from 2.3 to 7 trillion (can't remember barrels or tons off hand).  I'm a cartographer but the Dr. who had lead the research before is opening up a class to look at this again and teach how they are developed, the problems with efficiency and obtaining the oil, told me I could join. Guess they could use someone who knows 3-D Analysis and GIS.

I've seen some things from government sites requesting anyone doing research to abstract the shale oil from Kerogen more efficiently that they were requesting to share their results.

This used to be the way the US got their fuel oil until the more efficient, higher quality Petroleum was introduced.  We're sitting on a "black gold mine,"  you know.  sort of.

[supersam]

@geo,

technology is not really the big problem.  enviromental concerns has all but got the oil companies shut down in the US.  currently there is no expansion of refineries, or oil production in the US because of political reasons. our energy policy is insane.  i am forced to look at fuel ethanol because of these same political reasons.  since the current incentives will give me tax credits up to 75% for all of my research and development, labor, and actual ethanol plant expenses through 2010.  plus tax incentives per gallon, for actual production.  now if we could get the government to quiot proping up sugar,  we might actually get some farmers to plant sorgrum, to make it with.  however right now it makes just as much sincefor farmers to sit back and take the government subsidies to not plant.

but if it makes since then it makes since.  but i really don't think ethanol is the big problem that is causeing a food crisis worldwide.  that is just big oil propoganda.  i wonder if some of the problem might be the price of fuel? and the falling dollar.  that probably has more than doubled the cost of growing anything, so of course it costs more.

lolo
sam