Oil: Why are Americans so irresponsible?
CNN did a very interesting survey on oil.
"Although Americans don't believe the country faces an imminent energy crisis, most believe there are "major problems" --- from potential oil shortages to possible terrorist attacks -- and they are harshly critical of the leadership on the issue from the White House, according to a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll."
Yet, only 1 in 4 Americans believe consumers brunt any responsibility and only about the same amount blame automakers. While Bush receives much of the blame, oil companies are the most hated.
So, what are Americans doing about? Buying more oil.
In reality, what can Bush really do? Most energy experts note the majority of the problem is refinery capacity. Yet, there has been little support the last few decades to build new refineries and even if Bush said, build ten more, they wouldn't be online until long after he's out of office.
Yet, Dems like Hillary Clinton complain that Bush isn't being tough enough with Iran, at the same time Iran is devising plans to use oil as a weapon against the U.S. If problems with Iran escalate, gasoline prices would easily surge beyond $4.00 or $5.00 per gallon.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't
Lame duck Bush simply can't win, even though there is little he, or anyone, can really do about short term oil prices. All we can do in the short term is conserve.
Then there are the oil companies. I'm tired of this one. Too much of the oil industry is controlled outside of the United States. We, the consumers, need to buy less oil - that's it.
Of course that's hard since automakers haven't provided a lot of choice when it comes to fuel efficiency. GM still doesn't have any hybrid vehicles on the road - no their 'mild' hybrid doesn't count. Additionally, GM's 'GoYellow' compaign is complete B.S., since there aren't any gasoline stations with E85. So, who is GM kidding?
Apparently, most Americans!!! It's too expensive for GM to build hybrids, but not too expensive to spend $3 billion per year on advertising lying about ethanol and other 'professional grade' technologies.
In reality Congress deserves far more blame than the President and if any President deserves blame for oil, you'd have to blame Clinton, the first Bush, or Reagan.
Ultimately, however, Americans should blame automakers and themselves for buying the billions of dollars of propaganda that the big 3 have been selling to America. The right to gas guzzle isn't about American freedom, it's about American stupidity.
And these people laugh at us for buying hybrids.
"Although Americans don't believe the country faces an imminent energy crisis, most believe there are "major problems" --- from potential oil shortages to possible terrorist attacks -- and they are harshly critical of the leadership on the issue from the White House, according to a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll."
Yet, only 1 in 4 Americans believe consumers brunt any responsibility and only about the same amount blame automakers. While Bush receives much of the blame, oil companies are the most hated.
So, what are Americans doing about? Buying more oil.
In reality, what can Bush really do? Most energy experts note the majority of the problem is refinery capacity. Yet, there has been little support the last few decades to build new refineries and even if Bush said, build ten more, they wouldn't be online until long after he's out of office.
Yet, Dems like Hillary Clinton complain that Bush isn't being tough enough with Iran, at the same time Iran is devising plans to use oil as a weapon against the U.S. If problems with Iran escalate, gasoline prices would easily surge beyond $4.00 or $5.00 per gallon.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't
Lame duck Bush simply can't win, even though there is little he, or anyone, can really do about short term oil prices. All we can do in the short term is conserve.
Then there are the oil companies. I'm tired of this one. Too much of the oil industry is controlled outside of the United States. We, the consumers, need to buy less oil - that's it.
Of course that's hard since automakers haven't provided a lot of choice when it comes to fuel efficiency. GM still doesn't have any hybrid vehicles on the road - no their 'mild' hybrid doesn't count. Additionally, GM's 'GoYellow' compaign is complete B.S., since there aren't any gasoline stations with E85. So, who is GM kidding?
Apparently, most Americans!!! It's too expensive for GM to build hybrids, but not too expensive to spend $3 billion per year on advertising lying about ethanol and other 'professional grade' technologies.
In reality Congress deserves far more blame than the President and if any President deserves blame for oil, you'd have to blame Clinton, the first Bush, or Reagan.
Ultimately, however, Americans should blame automakers and themselves for buying the billions of dollars of propaganda that the big 3 have been selling to America. The right to gas guzzle isn't about American freedom, it's about American stupidity.
And these people laugh at us for buying hybrids.
Labels: Congress, E85, Ethanol, fuel efficiency, GM, Hybrid Vehicles
posted by Dahcredyns at
8:28 AM
10 Comments:
"...since there aren't any gasoline stations with E85..."
Actually, there are more than 600 stations selling cleaner, greener E85. There are more than 200 in Minnesota alone.
We support E85, biodiesel AND hybrids (mass transit, too!). All have a role to play.
600 out of 16,000+? What percentage is that?
That basically qualifies as NONE to me, especially when considering the massive amount of advertising GM is doing. As you point out, one third of ALL E85 pumps are in ONE - not so populous - state.
It is a fact that the far majority of GM's flex fuel vehicles have NEVER been filled up with E85 by their owners.
That's something to congratulate, something to be proud of? I guess so, since GM is now spending a good chunck of their $3 billion dollar advertising budget promoting their ineffectiveness.
But perception is always better than the truth. Words are always more effective than actions.
For several years GM has put flex fuel vehicles on the road for one thing: CAFE credits.
That means that GM avoids fines for violating clean air standards by putting flex-fuel technology in vehicles, a technology that the far majority of buyers aren't using.
Thus, GM's flex fuel program is currently leading to more foreign oil dependency and more lung-cancer causing pollution, as it has done for several years.
Using CAFE credits to basically violate clean air laws and to sell the worst gas guzzlers at maximum profit is deploreable.
I promote E85 and other bio-fuels, but I do not support GM's GOYELLOW campaign.
We can argue about the "purity" of GM's motives all we want, but in the end, does it matter?
It's their money, let 'em advertise as they will. At least they are raising awareness of E85 to levels it never had before -- you can't argue that point.
Perhaps it would be more constructive to forget about GM's commercials and ask yourself WHY one third of the nation's E85 pumps are in a singe "not so populous" state.
What has Minnesota done to promote this fuel that your state has not?
Furthermore, if it worked in Minnesota, could the same plan/model be used in other states?
That, I beleve, is more constructive path than hand wringing over a goofy ad campaign and CAFE standards.
I think it matters.
When GM's Bob Lutz admits that GM could have developed a Prius-like hybrid before Toyota by using a fraction of JUST ONE year's advertising budget, I think that matters.
Of course GM didn't need to use its advertising money, since the government gave the BIG 3 $1 billion in tax payer dollars to develop such a hybrid vehicle in the '90's, so I think it really matters.
If GM were putting flex-fuel technology in all vehicles, not just gas-guzzlers in danger of failing CAFE, then I'd believe they really care about E85.
When you use a loophole to break the law and then brag about it, I think it matters, especially when that loophole increases foreign oil dependency.
You can call that "hand wringing" over CAFE standards, but I call that disgraceful and unacceptable.
Re: Minnesota's E85 success
Isn't current E85 success dependant upon location?
I've read that in many areas where E85 is offered, its more expensive than gasoline.
What is the price comparison in Minnesota?
Much of the cost of fuel is often dependant upon transportation. Thus, if you aren't close to the corn fields, costs go up due to transportation costs.
Therefore, I don't think the current Minnesota model of E85 can be transferred to all other states, especially to most to the states on the coasts.
And shipping E85 from the Midwest to the coasts would result in E85 that isn't cost-effective to most consumers.
E85 offers great potential and I think Minnesota's program is worthy, but it is big in Minnesota right now because there are lots of farms in Minnesota.
New cellulose-driven bio-fuels offer great potential, but there are still a number of kinks to be worked out from what I've read.
Kudos to the state of Minnesota, but I'm sorry, I cannot extend the same to GM.
Buy a Ford flex-fuel vehicle instead!
Bottom line: Dahcredyns is right! (Dahcredyns, mail my check to the PO box, please)
While there might be 200 E85 stations in Minnesota, there's only four in the whole state of Texas. And they're not anywhere close to where I live. And this is after 4 years of flex fuel automobiles first started being sold by GM. Up to now, engineering flex fuel autos has not been a serious attempt by GM to provide higher mileage cars nor to help the environment. It has been a LOOPHOLE exploited by GM allowing them to let their CAFE rating drop without penalty. They have been doing a serious disservice to the buying public by continuing to produce gas guzzling cars and now they are paying for it. Personally, I hope they get bought up by Toyota. Serves them right.
Buy the E85 ready Mercedes Benz instead! Just kidding, Detroit fans...
Just wanted to make the point that there ARE a number of FFV models available, new and used, including some foreign nameplates. I uderstand your frustration.
Ford makes an Flex Fuel Focus for Europe, but not here. VW makes a flex fuel Golf, but only for drivers in Brazil. Saab makes a sedan it claims will get more miles on E85 than gasoline, but you can't buy it in Minnesota. And yes, all of the GM FFVs are big.
Re: Minnesota, you are correct that ethanol is somewhat more limited in transport options than gasoline (you can't ship E85 via long-distance pipelines). It travels quite well by rail, however. Look at Minnestoa's 16 ethanol plants and you will note one thing they have in common -- rail access.
As for fuel costs, well, that's an ever-changing issue, isn't it. Do most Americans live near an active oil field AND a refinery AND a distribution system?
Putting the too expensive/complex cellulose ethanol (switchgrass et al) aside for moment, consider what old moonshiners already know -- you can make ethanol from just about anything -- surplus beets, potatoes, wheat, rye, barley, cheese whey (yes, that's what they use in one Wisconsin ethanol plant), even reprocessed beer and wine that is spoiled or unsold.
So it's not just about corn. Corn just happens to be cheap, plentiful (we already plant more than we use) and easily fermentable, thanks to its high sugar/starch mixture.
As for the price of E85 in Minnesota, it varies, but we have NEVER seen it higher than regular unleaded. You can see for yourself on our website. It has the world's only E85 price forum. E85 users sign on with the best (or worse!) prices in the area, helping other corn-burners find the best deals. It works just like the gas price forums online in many cities.
See that and more at www.CleanAirChoice.org
Well, I say keep up the good work Minnesota!
Speaking of other sources...didn't Ford originally use Hemp to power his vehicles?
I haven't done enough research, but I've read that hemp could be an excellent source for biofuels because it grows fast and almost everywhere, and it doesn't need much water nor does it need to be fertilized or sprayed with pesticides.
That sounds pretty ecological to me. I guess it's a mute point; however, since hemp looks like that other weed.
And I will check out your site.
Nice, there are some real america hating idiots on here. keep buying those forign cars and selling out your own country, but dont complain when all the manufacturing jobs leave. oh wait, they already have.
GM is wrong either way in your eyes, they are pushing alternative fuels further forward than anyone else and they are evil. if they didnt, when there eventually is alternative fuels everywhere, you would condemn them for being "stuck in the dark ages" - Morons.
We don't have an energy problem, WHAT WE REALLY HAVE IS A POLITICAL PROBLEM! Source: http://www.byronwine.com/
For those of you that bitch about the price of gas at the pump, get rid of your Escalade (those vehicles are just to show off in) and buy a VW Jetta TDI. Or better yet, get off your lazy ass and start walking or cycling..........it will do your body some good!
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