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Home-brew ethanol kit
make your own ethanol fuel for under $1 a gallon. just need sugar, water, and yeast.
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Greens Not to Blame
De Lamar Gibbons blames environmentalists for "stifling our nuclear energy development," blocking drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and foolishly making ethanol and oil from corn and sunflower seeds (Readers' Forum, July 17).
No new nuclear power plants have been built since 1973, primarily due to costs (approximately $4 billion per plant), fear of a meltdown, concern about increased cancer rates of people living in the vicinity of a reactor and the 1 billion gallons of water needed annually for a plant.
Henry Ford designed the "Model T" expecting it would run on ethanol made from renewable biological materials. Then along came gasoline. Search the Web for his hemp car, made from hemp fiber, which ran on ethanol made from hemp. Hemp is an annually renewable plant.
Patsy Washburn
Salt Lake City De Lamar Gibbons blames environmentalists for "stifling our nuclear energy development," blocking drilling for oil in the Arctic Natio... more -
UN warns on biofuel crop reliance
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has warned against investing too heavily in growing crops for biofuels at the expense of food production.
He said larger economies had to look at whether they had the balance right.
Biofuels are important for combating climate change, Mr Ban said, but new global guidelines needed to be established to maintain an adequate supply of food. United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has warned against investing too heavily in growing crops for biofuels at the expense of food product... more -
The World's Sugar Daddy
Vanguard's Mariana van Zeller travels to the "Saudi Arabia of Ethanol", and has a few drinks while she's at it.
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Food Fight
Humans are consuming more oil, more food ... more of everything than ever before. And as modern societies become more dependent on the resources they exploit, we're beginning to see signs that we may be pushing the planet to its limits. Vanguard and Collective Journalists explore the far-reaching consequences of this global fight for resources. Humans are consuming more oil, more food ... more of everything than ever before. And as modern societies become more dependent on the... more
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Food Fight Promo
A preview of this week's Vanguard show on ethanol and the global food crisis. Airs Wednesday, July 16 at 7pm PST/10PM EST.
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Destroying African Agriculture
Biofuel production is certainly one of the culprits in the current global food crisis. But while the diversion of corn from food to biofuel feedstock has been a factor in food prices shooting up, the more primordial problem has been the conversion of economies that are largely food-self-sufficient into chronic food importers. Here the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Trade Organization (WTO) figure as much more important villains.
Whether in Latin America, Asia, or Africa, the story has been the same: the destabilization of peasant producers by a one-two punch of IMF-World Bank structural adjustment programs that gutted government investment in the countryside followed by the massive influx of subsidized U.S. and European Union agricultural imports after the WTO’s Agreement on Agriculture pried open markets. .
African agriculture is a case study of how doctrinaire economics serving corporate interests can destroy a whole continent’s productive base.
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So this so called "secret" report by the World bank stating that "biofuels" are to blame for the world food shortage is in part propaganda to cover up their own participation in it. It is not 'biofuel' production in total that has caused it, but 'ethanol' production and mostly subsidized imports brought about by the destabilization of local economies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America that are raising prices. Biofuel production is certainly one of the culprits in the current global food crisis. But while the diversion of corn from food to bi... more -
Obama is wrong on ethanol
Obama has been making the rounds, extolling the virtues of corn-based ethanol, an incredibly energy-inefficient bio-fuel. It angers me that he does not acknowledge that sugar-cane ethanol is a much more environmentally-friendly and, in the long-term, cost-efficient bio-fuel. The only reason I can fathom he's pushing for corn ethanol is because it's produceable in the U.S., and therefore will garner him votes and support from Great Plains farmers and the American agricultural industry at-large. Obama has been making the rounds, extolling the virtues of corn-based ethanol, an incredibly energy-inefficient bio-fuel. It angers me... more
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Obama's Support for Ethanol seems misguided
Obama's support for the environment seems contradictory to ethanol policy. Despite the fact that ethanol doesn’t seem to be the answer to our energy problems Obama is in favor, could this have to do with his grass roots being heavily influenced by Corn.
"Mr. Obama is running as a reformer who is seeking to reduce the influence of special interests. But like any other politician, he has powerful constituencies that help shape his views. And when it comes to domestic ethanol, almost all of which is made from corn, he also has advisers and prominent supporters with close ties to the industry at a time when energy policy is a point of sharp contrast between the parties and their presidential candidates."
What are your thoughts?
Obama's support for the environment seems contradictory to ethanol policy. Despite the fact that ethanol doesn’t seem to be the answer... more -
Louisiana only state to get ethanol correct
"Yesterday Louisiana state governor Bobby Jindal signed into law revolutionary ethanol legislation that embarks in a totally new direction that could save the US economy while actually making us less dependant on foreign oil ..." "Yesterday Louisiana state governor Bobby Jindal signed into law revolutionary ethanol legislation that embarks in a totally new direc... more
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Another aspect of the Ethanol Scam: Poor gas mileage
E-10 ruins fuel economy for vehicles.
With gas prices soaring, people are concerned about how their cars are faring on the road. Of course, gas guzzlers are suffering the worst during this $4+ gas world, but so is the common person. You see, some stations are mixing Ethanol with regular gasoline in small amounts (known as E-10). And there have been reports that this is effecting fuel economy in a negative way.
This is just one recent story where people note the drop in fuel economy of vehicles because fo the E-10 mix. There are others that can be found doing a Google search. The earliest report I found was from 2006. E-10 ruins fuel economy for vehicles. ... more -
McCain's Easy Pass
Great analysis of how McCain showed he's a lightweight on economic policy and not such a straight talker at his recent NYC town hall meeting. Great analysis of how McCain showed he's a lightweight on economic policy and not such a straight talker at his recent NYC town hall m... more
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Algae farm in Mexico to produce ethanol in '09
Rather than squeeze algae for its oil, Algenol wants to turn each algae cell into a tiny ethanol factory.
The Maryland-based company said that business partner BioFields has licensed its technology and committed $850 million to build a saltwater algae farm in the Sonoran Desert in northwest Mexico. Production is scheduled to begin next year.
BioFields paid over $100 million to license Algenol's technology, Algenol CEO Paul Woods said Thursday. He said the ethanol produced at the farm will cost $1 less than today's gasoline, or about $3 per gallon.
Algenol's technology was first developed in the mid 1980s. When oil hit $50 a barrel in 2006, Woods stepped up efforts to commercialize it.
The company chose from a collection of 10,000 strains of algae and used molecular biology to enhance certain traits. Specifically, company engineers enhanced certain algaes' ability to make sugar and, through their enzymes, to ferment sugar into ethanol. Rather than squeeze algae for its oil, Algenol wants to turn each algae cell into a tiny ethanol factory. ... more -
Hemp makes ethanol and biodiesel too
"Hemp is the term commonly employed for the industrial (non-drug) usage of the cannabis plant, otherwise known as marijuana. The stalk of the cannabis or marijuana plant has no THC content whatsoever, that is, it has no mind-altering properties.
The use of cannabis for hemp products goes back thousands of years. Today, hemp can be used in thousands of commercial products. The hemp tops and seeds can go to food, and the stalks can go for fuel, fiber and building materials, so it is like growing two crops in one field..." "Hemp is the term commonly employed for the industrial (non-drug) usage of the cannabis plant, otherwise known as marijuana. The stalk... more -
The Biofuels Scam, Food Shortages and the Coming Collapse of the Human Population
By: Mike Adams
It was one of the dumbest "green" ideas ever proposed: Convert millions of acres of cropland into fields for growing ethanol from corn, then burn fossil fuels to harvest the ethanol, expending more energy to extract the fuel than you get from the fuel itself! Meanwhile, sit back and proclaim you've achieved a monumental green victory (President Bush, anyone?) all while unleashing a dangerous spike in global food prices that's causing a ripple effect of food shortages and rationing around the world.
I think politicians need to spend less time bragging about their latest greenwashing schemes and more time studying The Law of Unintended Consequences. Because while growing fuel on cropland initially sounds like a great idea, any honest assessment of the total impact leads you to the inescapable conclusion that biofuels are largely a government-sponsored scam. With a few exceptions (see below), biofuels produce no net increase in energy output, and they cause food shortages while creating strong economic incentives for the destruction of the very rainforests we desperately need to stabilize the climate!
Read More here: http://www.naturalnews.com/023091.html
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To recycle used vegetable oil is one thing but to grow a fuel is absurd.
There are truly only three completely renewable fuel resources in the galaxy: Solar (for electricity), Wind (for electricity) and Water (for electricity and hydrogen).
Electric or hydrogen is the only answers for Vehicles.
If you know someone using new vegetable oil for there car please tell him or her that they are starving people around the world.
Convert to electric or hydrogen to save this planet and its inhabitants.
By: Mike Adams ... more -
Converting Garbage to Gas (Bio-diesel)
Watch the video. Yeah, car tires being made into bio-diesel, crazy stuff. And this plant really does just use the energy it creates to run itself.
In the website: http://www.libertyfromoil.com/?p=25
They explain how they have sent 40 plus letters to congress informing them of this and yet still we don't hear anything about it and subsidies continue to be poured into growing corn. Also check out the following articles for more info.
Changing World Technologies:
http://www.changingworldtech.com/where/philadelphia.asp
http://discovermagazine.com/2006/apr/anything-oil
And read this article:
Archer Daniels Midland: A Case Study In Corporate Welfare
http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-241.html Watch the video. Yeah, car tires being made into bio-diesel, crazy stuff. And this plant really does just use the energy it creates ... more -
Red Cross warns of food riots over soaring prices
GENEVA - The Red Cross warned Tuesday of a possible surge in "food-related violence" because of soaring prices that are increasing hunger around the world.
Most of the debate surrounding the global food crisis has focused on boosting aid to poorer countries, but there is also concern about the potential for violence as people become desperate for food, said Jakob Kellenberger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Follow the link to entire complete text. GENEVA - The Red Cross warned Tuesday of a possible surge in "food-related violence" because of soaring prices that are increasing hun... more -
Democrats fueled by beer
"The flex-fuel vehicles at this summer's Democratic National Convention will be running on waste beer, thanks to the Molson Coors Brewing Company.
Molson Coors, along with its U.S. subsidiary, Coors Brewing Company, will be the Official E85 Ethanol Producer for the convention, which is set for August 25 through 28 in Denver". "The flex-fuel vehicles at this summer's Democratic National Convention will be running on waste beer, thanks to the Molson Coors Brew... more -
Beer Fueled Cars at the Democratic National Convention
Molson (Coors) is going to supply waste beer to power the DNC's ethanol powered cars this Summer in Denver
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The CAFE Standard Shell Game
This guy is great - read the entire article at the link above - it gets even worse. Bush has put his cronies in charge of every regulatory agency and this is the result.
by Tam Hunt, Community Environmental Council
I've made my punch line the title of this piece. I was never good at telling jokes. This joke, however, isn't really funny anyway because it is a boondoggle being played on the American people.
The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards were created by Congress in 1975 as part of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. Over the first nine years of its existence the CAFE standard — and powerful market forces — led to 62% improved vehicle fuel economy. Over the next twenty years or so, better vehicle technologies were used to increase power instead of to increase fuel economy. The end result: average fuel economy for cars in the U.S. is only about 26 miles per gallon in 2008.
In the era of skyrocketing oil, gas and diesel prices, however, Congress took bold action, passing the Energy Independence and Security Act in December of 2007. The key feature of this law was a re-vamping of the CAFE standard for the first time in a generation, setting a new standard of 35 mpg by 2020.
Or so the story goes.
Upon examination, the CAFE standard "improvements" are revealed as little more than a loophole-ridden shell game.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued the proposed CAFE regulations in March of this year. The regulations cover model years 2011-2015 and "require" all cars and trucks to achieve 31.8 mpg by 2015.
The major changes in the new regulations are a new tradable credit system and a new way of calculating required vehicle improvements based on the size of each vehicle model sold instead of a fleet-wide requirement.
The tradable credit system makes the CAFE "standard" a cap-and-trade system instead of an actual standard. Standards are the prototypical example of a command and control regulatory approach, which, while generally effective in achieving outcomes also generate strong resistance from the regulated businesses. Cap and trade is more market friendly because it sets a limit on the activity at issue but also gives some choices to the regulated businesses as to how they meet that limit. In this case, each size class is "limited" in terms of the gas mileage it must achieve. The "trade" part of this cap and trade allows each manufacturer to trade credits with other manufacturers who are exceeding their requirements, and to trade between size classes within each fleet — and to buy credits from the U.S. government at a set price ceiling.
It is this last part that is most disturbing. By allowing manufacturers to avoid actually improving gas mileage by simply buying credits from the government at a set price, the cap itself may be completely destroyed because there is no limit on how many credits the government may sell. So it's not really a cap and trade system either. It's just a trade system with huge potential to be gamed without any guaranteed benefits for consumers or the environment.
This guy is great - read the entire article at the link above - it gets even worse. Bush has put his cronies in charge of every regul... more
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