Skip to content

Tag Archives: biodiesel

Four Simple Steps Towards Energy Independence

Monday, June 23, 2008

It all seems so simple.  All we need to do as a nation is to ween ourselves from over-seas oil.  Here are four simple steps, go tell your elected officials to start getting serious. 

1) Prominently increasing North American energy supplies, thereby increasing energy security (technologies include frontier hydrocarbon technologies such as gasification, including hydrogen production; gas-to-liquids; tar sands, oil sands, and other heavy crude extractive and processing technologies)

2) Providing additional nonhydrocarbon supply options (ethanol1, biodiesel, wind and solar)

3) Moving towards globalizing a regionally limited natural-gas market to reduce risks associated with supply and price (LNG)

4) Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (new emission-free supplies such as nuclear, wind, solar; more efficient end-use technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells and advanced technology vehicles; reduced emissions from hydrocarbon usage such as coal gasification, cogeneration and deployment of CO2 capture and sequestration technologies and strategies).

Rate this:
2.5
Filed in Energy-Independence, Green | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (5)

Energy Independence

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Starting in June of 2008, I have relaunched z-car.com as a forum to help inform car enthusiasts about our need for energy independence.  I am interested in what alternatives we have, and how we can express our concerns to our elected officials in the government.

How can we transition to a clean, renewable energy and transportation economy?

I would like to see:

  • Policy solutions to accelerate early deployment and market development for hydrogen and fuel cell, biodiesel, and biomass-to-energy technologies
  • Research and advocacy in support of renewable hydrogen and renewable diesel, particularly from waste biomass
  • Opportunities to demonstrate and deploy hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles in tandem with hydrogen fueling infrastructure
  • Development of a standard for pure biodiesel for use as a fuel
  • Options for policy directives to convert agricultural waste into energy in a cost-effective manner
  • Government agencies, businesses and other non-profit organizations understanding the needs, merits, and pathways to the renewable fuels economy
    • Rate this:
    		2.5
    Filed in Energy-Independence, Green | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)

    Splash and Dash - US Taxpayers Lose Once Again

    Saturday, May 31, 2008

    US Taxpayers are getting screwed out of millions of dollars by a biofuel subsidy that helps to lower gas prices in Europe. Last year this subsidy cost the American taxpayer $300 million, and it’s projected to cost the American taxpayers $600 million in 2008.

    The scam is known as “splash and dash.” It consists of an existing $1 subsidy for every gallon of biodiesel fuel blended with regular diesel in the United States. Biodiesel is produced abroad and shipped to the United States, where it’s blended with just a “splash” of regular diesel. For example, a tanker-load of about 9 million gallons of foreign biodiesel requires just 9,000 gallons of American diesel to make it qualify for the subsidy. But every gallon in the shipment receives a $1 subsidy that is paid by the US Government. The ship then makes a “dash” for Europe.

    Each load of biodiesel, made from South American sugar cane or Asian palm oil, generates $9 million in tax credits for the importer/exporter. Congress and the National Biodiesel Board know the loophole is being exploited, they can see that the US is exporting much more biofuel than it is producing. But, they claim that they are unable to identify the companies that are “stealing” our money.

    We need to immediately end “splash and dash” by eliminating the subsidy for any biodiesel exported from the United States. We all should be outraged that we are subsidizing Europe’s use of biodiesel at our own expense.

    Rate this:
    		3.4
    Filed in Energy-Independence, Oil Companies, Politics, Scam | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)