Hi MM >http://www.calsmallbusinessalliance.org/NEWS/weapons.html > >Tailpipes of vehicles are about 75% of the problem it says, but no >mention of EVs and their lack of tailpipes. > >http://www.thedesertsun.com/news/stories2003/local/20030801012806.shtml > >I wonder if EVs could have helped solve this problem? Biodiesel? > >It has gotten to the point where, so far as any public official or >regulator is concerned, EVs might as well never have existed. They're >simply not mentioned anywhere, even when officials become ardent in >their search for better CAFE laws and air quality measures. > >Neither EVs nor biofuels are mentioned directly by the folks in this >article who are looking for solutions. Interestingly, the pollution of >trains and trucks is discussed. I wonder how difficult it would be to >apply biodiesel now, as a ready-for-use solution that would help a >bit.
It wouldn't be difficult, it would be easy. Trouble is, it's the wrong problem - the real question, IMHO, is why it isn't being widely applied already. What is stopping these resources from being fully exploited? - BILLIONS of gallons of waste vegetable oil produced in the US a year, very little of which is accounted for, most of which gets added to the waste stream - the fact that nobody even knows how much of it there is would be a good indication of how seriously it's regarded; - BILLIONS of gallons - more than 4 billion - of **surplus** soy oil, which is the by-product, the feed-cake is the "product"; - BILLIONS of bushels of surplus corn - the cheapest thing for Americans to burn in their woodstoves, while the ADMs and Cargills of this world that turn some of it into ethanol apparently haven't even yet realized that there's OIL in it too, which shows just how much attention they've been paying. It seems the rapeseed (canola) *plant* - not the seeds, the plant residue - contains 13% oil, where have you ever heard of that being exploited? This doesn't explore the possibilities of growing fuel crops on set-aside land, on all sorts of land, little niches all over the place - see my previous messages about "How much land would it take to grow "enough" biofuels?" and so on (also the wrong question). http://archive.nnytech.net/index.php?view=18699&list=BIOFUEL http://archive.nnytech.net/index.php?view=1395&list=BIOFUELS-BIZ http://archive.nnytech.net/index.php?view=1801&list=BIOFUELS-BIZ The other elements in the picture - greatly reduced energy (fuel) use and greatly increased energy use efficiency - are not rank impossibilities, there are even indications that it could be accomplished without that radical a change in most people's lifestyles. A large number of consumers want more fuel-efficient cars, but all they get offered is SUVs. Lots of jobs in biofuels too, and *local* benefits - somewhat better than "trickle-down" that doesn't. I wouldn't say it's a matter of political will - the political will is focused in exactly the opposite direction. And that's the problem - it's not that they aren't making it happen, it's that they'll obstruct its happening. Another major factor is that biofuels are still seen from on high as something to do with agriculture, not essential energy policy, something of benefit to farmers - er, well, to the agriculture sector... um, to, er, agribusiness, ah, um yes, that does rather mean ADM, Cargill and Monsanto, at everyone else's expense. There's no will to change that either, again very much the opposite - see "Bushfood" for instance: http://archive.nnytech.net/index.php?view=20877&list=BIOFUEL So. Best Keith ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for Your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at Myinks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/l.m7sD/LIdGAA/qnsNAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
