Re: Why I see biofuels more as an alternative to oil

I would disagree with a few of these points, noting that I haven't read
the article:


> 
> Secondly, from what an oil executive insider I know has told me, the world
> is very very long way from any "peak oil" crisis. We don't need middle east
> oil -- we have Nigeria, the North Sea, Russia, etc. It is that China is
> terrifying to the US, and the middle east is seen as a way to keep China in
> check. So our use of bioD isn't going to slow the war effort down. (Very
> sorry to say.)

KEVIN - this may very well be true in practice, here and now, BUT, every
little bit helps, and the more that use it, create more demand, and
someday, peak demand?  It really matters very little (to me and likely
to most) what your motivation is for doing so - there are key facets of
american society most of us can agree on, and the need to get around is
certainly one of them.  the degree to which you NEED to get around, yes,
that's certainly open to debate depending on how far out you live, what
you do for a living, etc. etc. but the core principle is the same, and
biod definitely helps, not hinders, this need.



> Regarding the environmental aspect of the article I think that the author is
> trivializing the amount of risk involved. We just don't know what will
> happen as  weather is "chaotic". There is a slight chance that global
> warming will do nothing but help everyone's tomato plants. There is a
> greater chance that global warming will radically alter the face of the
> planet -- and we just don't know how it will play out. I would equate the
> current situation to playing Russian roulette with five bullets, not just
> one. Why would you invite massive change into your life (or the economy) if
> everything was going as well as the author indicates it is going?

KEVIN - not having read the article, i'd merely state the old adage -
'an ounce of prevention is (usually) worth a pound of cure"  and this
CERTAINLY applies to transportation generally and fuel specifically.  In
past energy crises, the biggest positive effects have been seen from
simple conservation and lowering usage - and it's the easiest thing to
do in most cases, even if you still kept using gas.

> 
> It seems odd that a "conservative" person (such as the article's author)
> would be welcoming change, especially if he didn't know what he was trading
> for. 

KEVIN - i'm not a conservative person, but i'll say this - there are
conservatives (and progressives, libertarians, etc.) of all stripes,
dogmatic as well as moderate.  The key is to agree when you can, agree
to disagree otherwise, and avoid punching each other in the nose in the
meantime :)  Remember that even in our own history, Republicans have
been agents for change many times - think after the civil war when
Lincoln ran through progressive business reform through an R congress -
think Teddy Roosevelt with progressive welfare, etc. long before his
cousin FDR institutionalized it further (including FDR's protoge, LBJ).
It's just as much about the individual as it is about the party,
really.....


> Environmentalists really just want to keep things the way they are now.

KEVIN - I take ***serious*** issue with this statement.  If
environmentalists were all about the status quo, then they'd be buying
Exxon stock and Humvees - but they aren't.  At my house, we have 3 cars,
two are TDI VWs and one older vanagon that someday soon will be a
diesel.  Only one of these cars is driven every day - my wife is a wine
rep, and runs B99 in her Golf.  I ride the bus to work and only drive
the van on camping trips and/or hauling stuff about maybe once every
other month, max.  I also realize i live in town, so have the luxury of
doing those things whereas a rural person might not (or might simply
have to drive their truck - hopefully biod truck - every day to/from or
simply for, work.  I will agree that if there were no SUV, Humvee, etc.
drivers out there, everyone had a bike, electric car or biod car, that
there'd be less to rail against, but i'd also trade constant conflict
for that situation (assuming it would ever happen - i'm also a realist)
any day! :)


> Case in point, everyone here is driving a car, and proud of it.
> Environmentalists are just as "addicted" to modern conveniences as
> Republicans, they just tolerate less risk. 

KEVIN - define 'proud' - my wife would drive less if she could, but her
job simply doesn't allow for it.  I have luckily switched to being able
to ride the bus every day but i work in the tech industry too - more
flexible than many to also let people telecommute more than most
industries.  I personally hate having to get in the car every time I
would want to do something, so I live in the city.  Others may/will have
a different view, and that's their gig, but I sure wouldn't want to
spend 1 hour each day commuting to work ipod/NPR or no.....


> So, we (environmentalists) try to
> fudge things a little bit. Keep driving, but get a more CO2 efficient car.
> It seems like an easy compromise to maintain our current standard of living.

KEVIN - if you look at it only in that simple sense.  But there are LOTS
of things (besides driving a biod car/truck) that can make a huge impact
over time besides just having the less-polluting car.  Driving even that
car less to begin with - oregon has the advantage of the bottle bill,
for example - when I moved to WA and watched idiots throwing newspaper
and glass bottles away in the trash, I was appalled, to say the least.
Sadly, much of that (for a while anyway, before Seattle became rather
draconian about recycling) was sent BACK to Oregon for the Arlington
landfill!  Thankfully that is over.  My point is, if you WANT to effect
change, you have to change yourself, right?  (and of course rail against
the system in the meantime :)



> 
> 
> Really though, we do not KNOW the full impact that global climate change
> will have on us -- no one does. We just know that we are pretty comfortable
> now and we'd prefer if things didn't change too much.
> 
> Seth

KEVIN - back to my earlier point - ounce of prevention rule......