J. D. Pendry

J. D. Pendry

Since 2001, ethanol production has quadrupled from 1.6 billion gallons in 2000 to an estimated 6.4 billion gallons in 2007, with the vast majority coming from corn. In 2005, the United States became the world’s leading ethanol producer, and last year, the U.S. accounted for nearly half of worldwide ethanol production. Whitehouse

That is one of the first links I encountered while perusing the Department of Energy website. It is right there with the links that are battling global warming and asking us to change the world by changing our light bulbs. Other things I see on the Whitehouse link are Renewable Fuels Mandate, Vehicle Fuel Economy Mandate, Lighting Efficiency Mandate, Appliance Efficiency Mandate… I really wonder if there are any functioning brains left in Washington, not to imply that there were ever many of them there in the first place. If we Mandate it, then it will be and San Fran Nan, Harry and now it looks like George as well can hold hands and skip merrily through Nan’s California vineyards.

Our national security problems revolving around energy first came to light during the Arab oil embargo of 1973 – 1974, which was our punishment from the Islamists for daring to help Israel defend herself. The fact that it has been a growing national security crisis for our country for so many years shows the complete lack of foresight of our career politicians.

The Arabs used oil as a weapon then as they and others are using it now. They are at war with us still, and our politicians appear too stupid to realize it or simply are unable to see beyond the next campaign cycle or contribution. None of the OPEC countries could ever challenge the United States militarily, but they are no doubt at war with us economically while we are busied with changing our doggoned light bulbs. Does it only sound stupid to me to imply that windmills are considered a progression from nuclear energy or that filling our homes with mercury filled light bulbs is going to accomplish anything toward addressing what is clearly a national security threat? I guess I am just not educated in such matters.

Our answer as outlined above is to reduce our dependence on foreign energy by, among other things, producing ethanol with the vast majority coming from corn. There is clearly an inability to see down the road in our government – to see the impact of decisions. Ethanol might, a slight might, reduce the price of a gallon of fuel at the pump by a penny or two. Does that sound like a good deal for you? Economics for dummies reminds us that when demand increases, supply reduces and prices rise according to the demand. Increased ethanol production has increased the demand for corn and subsequently the price of it. Everything that relies on corn like the beef, pork and poultry products you consume are now more expensive because it cost more to ready those products for your dinner table. It also cost more to provide you with milk, cheese, eggs, cereal, etc. etc. etc. A possible penny saved at the ethanol pump does not look like such a grand deal when it is given back with interest to purchase products we need that rely on corn, especially since we are continuing to support the Islamists and Hugo Chavez.

What makes this more disheartening is the fact that with a concerted effort, we could put OPEC out of business as far as United States National Security is concerned. Instead, our would be leaders are busily hoping you will fall for a hope for change, trying to decide who is best to answer the phone, or who is most ready to sign a Global Warming treaty.

Congress and the Whitehouse, have at their fingertips all the information they need to solve our problem. What they all lack is the foresight and courage to do it, preferring instead to change our light bulbs and then back slap one another into believing they are actually accomplishing something. All they have to do is read the studies they commissioned.

The United States has substantial unconventional fossil fuels resources that could be produced and converted to liquid fuels…

Oil Shale: America’s oil shale resource exceeds 2 trillion barrels, including about 1.5 trillion barrels of oil equivalent in high quality shales concentrated in the Green River Formation in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Other lower quality and less concentrated resources, totaling about 619 billion barrels, are deposited in several southern and eastern states…

Coal-Derived Liquids: Current U.S. proven coal reserves exceed 267 billion short tons – approximately 250 years of supply at current production rates, about 1.1 billion tons in 2005…

Most U.S. coal is suitable for gasification with oxygen and steam. The synthetic gas can be used to generate clean electric power or various other energy carriers such as hydrogen or liquid fuels such as ultra clean diesel, and jet fuels, using Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis to convert the gas to liquids. This technology has been demonstrated at commercial scale in South Africa in three facilities operated by Sasol since 1980…

First of a kind domestic coal to liquids plants are likely to have capital costs ranging from $70,000 to $100,000 per daily barrel of capacity. Capital costs for a 50,000 Bbl/d plant would be between $3.5 and $5 billion. With these economics, produced fuels would be competitive at a world price for light sweet crude oil at or above $45 - $60/Bbl…

Competitive at $45 - $60 a barrel and we are shucking corn. It is worth your while to take time to peruse the Strategic Unconventional Fuels Task Force report and the Development of America’s Unconventional Fuels Resources, from which I have been quoting and the Overview of Unconventional Fuels. Maybe you can do it by the glow of your compact fluorescent reading lamp while enjoying a bag of corn chips. If you get angry enough to contact your favorite politician, that will be OK too.

Copyright © 2008 JD Pendry All Rights Reserved

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 8th, 2008 at 7:00 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.