Just to be clear, I don't want to give you a hard time about this, I'm just seeking clarification... Can one mention that biodiesel is a domestically-grown fuel? You can't divorce the politics from the fuel, as it's (IMO) a big reason to use bio.
Facts (not opinions):
1) The US economy is bleeding money (just check the deficit).
2) A very large chunk of that is petroleum.
3) A large chunk of that goes to countries that oppress their people.
4) Some of that money goes to support terrorism.
5) Burning petroleum is a major contributor to global warming and the polluting of our air and water.
These, to me, are VERY strong reasons to use biodiesel. I love the environmental aspect of it, and that's what originally drew me to it (pre 9/11) - especially the near zero greenhouse gasses aspect. I see biodiesel as an important step to reduce and ultimately stop supporting a destructive process: the pumping and burning of petroleum. 9/11 gave me a broader perspective on oil, and what I saw wasn't pretty.
Hybrids are great. Fuel efficiency is great. But gasoline vehicles still use a precious, limited, destructive resource that we're going to run out of sooner than everyone thinks. Every gallon used is one gallon closer to the day when petroluem is no longer a viable energy source. We'll probably never actually RUN OUT of oil... it'll just get too expensive to bother with and we'll either find another solution (solar/wind/nuclear) or we'll have to radically change our lifestyles to consume less energy (or, we won't be able to do it and we'll decend into anarchy).
Don't count on hydrogen. H isn't a fuel SOURCE. It's just a carrier (like electricity). It takes energy to make H, and any time you convert energy from one form to another, you lose energy. If we get the H from electrolyzing water, we'd be better off just running electric cars. If we get it from natural gas, we'd be better off just running natural gas cars.
The solution (that I see) is biofuels - especially biodiesel from algae, solar and wind power, and clean nuclear power (not ideal, but it DOES work and produces massive amounts of power relatively cleanly). We simply CANNOT continue to use oil for much longer.
Disclaimer: I'm the founder and webmaster of biodieselnow.com.
We do allow politics in our forums because it's often relevant, but try to keep strictly political topics in the off-topic section.
