SwiftVets.com

[PhantomSgt]

I like the idea of burning corn in my car.

So the problem is with BIG oil companies putting these pumps in service and then offer it to a wider area of use I gather?

So how do we get the Congress out of the pocket of BIG oil to pass legislation forcing these companies to offer this alternative fuel at each station they own or control?

Is the cost comparable to unleaded gas?
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Retired AF E-8

Independent that leans right of center.

[tony54]

We already are the worlds #1 agricultural producer of corn, wheat and dairy a large number of farms are subsidized to not grow crops.
Being a kinder and gentler nation we sell to other countries at a cheaper rate than we sell to our own citizens.
We should get all our farms to produce grain and corn at 100% capacity.
If the agriculture department made a new policy:
Any country needing our food supply of any kind should pay at the going rate in this country with no subsidies, and also they should pay us with oil, if they don't produce oil they can buy oil from an oil producing country and give it to us in exchange for an equal amount of grain.

Oil may be a necessity, but not as necessary as food.

[Slednfool]

A couple of other alternative energy options are hydrogen fuel cells http://www.h2fc.com/
and bio-diesel http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/faqs/

[GM Strong]

Big oil is a strawman. The oil Co have been hamstrung by regulation and NIMBY goofiness. We have had no new refining capacity built in 23 years and no exploration. Hydrogen, corn etc are nice ideas, but not commercially viable. Drill holes, build refineries, create jobs in doing so and we will find other solutions as required.
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8th Army Korea 68-69

[scotty61]

I think we should drill into all our known reserves and increase our refining capacity to the point we have a reserve in case some have to shut down due repairs or failure. If the market drops to where it is cheaper to buy overseas crude, we buy it. If it raises to the point where ours is cheaper we use that. Just because we can produce our needs independently does't mean we need to do so all the time, just having the ability will keep market prices low.
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John Kerry. A Neville Chamberlain for our times.

[PhantomSgt]

[GM1954]

[scotty61]

I like ethanol, but remember a few things about it. The US corn crop is dependant on weather, diease and the market for other crops grown on the same land. The corn crop is competed for by those who need it for corn syrup, livestock feed, bourbon and other uses besides ethanol. Too much dependence on ethanol would leave us in a lurch if the crop failed. As with other alternative fuels, ethanol is more expesive to produce than gas. Not that these problems are insurmountable, but they must be addressed and overcome before ethanol is a viable alternative.
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John Kerry. A Neville Chamberlain for our times.

[tony54]

I know we have big appetite for oil in this country and something has to be done to increase production in the short term, and find other energy sources in the long term.
Especially since China has been almost doubling its oil usage every couple years.
But the oil companies are greedy and will sell their soul for extra profits.
Back when they built the Alaska Pipeline we were told that it would supply
if I remember right one third of our national consumption for 20 or 30 years, and the oil would be cheaper since it was American produced from American oil wells.
As soon as the Pipeline project was completed I didn't notice a decrease in gas prices, matter of fact gas prices kept going up.
I did some research and found out that all the oil coming from the pipeline was being shipped to Japan and Korea, and we in this country were still importing about 70% of our oil from the Middle East and South America.
The only thing I can figure is its got to be more profitable for the oil companies to do it that way, cause they sure do rake in record profits year in and year out!

[GM1954]

I have been using E85 in a 2002 Tahoe for almost three years now. In every station the price is $.05 ot $.10 less than regular gasoline.

Several years ago in southern Illinois, when gasoline was $1.35 per gallon, E85 was $1.20 per gallon. Since corn is a cheap as dirt the distributors have some latitude on pump price. The production cost from a couple of years ago was $.70 per gallon to manufacture a gallon of 200 proof ethanol. However, the oil companies make more by drilling, transportation, refining and distribution with gasoline.

As far as crop failure, that is a regional thing. The changes of a major failure are near 0 or far less than a hostile regime shutting off the tap. In addition, only the carbohydrate is used for alcohol. Protein and corn oil continue on into the consumer chain.

This stuff really is outstanding. It has a 105 octane rating which allows for high degrees of engine timing. (that's why the indy car people and dragster folks use alcohol fuel). If you use gasoline in a car the timing has to be retarded in order to NOT produce the nasty emissions. A lot of your gqsoline is burned in the catalytic converter and not in the engine. In a nutshell, fuel economy is the same as gasoline and the car absoultly flies.

I can't tell you satisfaction I get out of not sending dollars to countries that turn out folks that want to kill our civillians and troops.

[PhantomSgt]

[USAFE5]

I was going to make a comment about recycling corn but have thought better of it. Although I am sure some of you will read into this post what I was going to say.
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"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I’m here to help." Ronald Reagan

[PhantomSgt]