February 26, 2006
HE'S EVEN COUCHED IT IN WINNING POLITICAL TERMS:
Montana's Coal Cowboy (CBS, 2/24/06)
The governor of Montana [Brian Schweitzer] says he can turn the billions of tons of coal under his state into enough diesel fuel to greatly reduce America's dependence on foreign oil. [...]"Why wouldn’t we create an economic engine that will take us into the next century, and let those sheiks and dictators and rats and crooks from all over the world boil in their own oil!" the democratic governor tells Stahl. Who does he mean? "Hugo Chavez. The Saudi royal family … the leaders in Iran. How about the countries that end with 'stan'? Nigeria? You tell me. Sheiks, rats, crooks, dictators, sure." [...]
"The Fischer-Tropsch (method of creating) diesel is a superb fuel. Not only is cleaner than conventional diesel, but it also leads to improved engine performance," said Dr. Robert Williams, senior energy scientist at Princeton University.
There is one drawback, however, says Williams. "The process would entail carbon dioxide emissions that would be twice the green house emissions of other fuels." But Schweitzer has a plan for that, too. "This spent carbon dioxide, we have a home for it — right back into the earth, 5,000 feet deep." Schweitzer says he can sell this to the oil industry, which uses it to increase the amount of oil it can extract.
Some complain that the huge pits dug to mine the coal will become scars on the landscape, because the mining industry has not been kind, historically, to the state. But Schweitzer says a law will force companies to bury and replant the pits.
As the port hysteria shows, there's plenty of free-floating xenophobia that can be exploited to radically alter America's gasoline dependence. Posted by Orrin Judd at February 26, 2006 7:19 PM
Man, I don't get you. "Sheiks, rats, crooks, dictators", you're saying this doesn't describe Chavez and the trash who generally run the Middle East? How is this literal discription of those scumbags count as xenophobia? Isn't it rats-crooks-and-dictatorsaphobia?
Amos:
No. It does describe the folks who control our oil fairly accurately. But you can use that to enact policies that people would resist more under calmer circumstances, like higher gas taxes.
Posted by: oj at February 26, 2006 7:42 PMHow about the countries that end with 'stan'?
Amos, you must admit that this statement was xenophobic at best, racist at worst. Presumably he's referring to Kazakhstan, which is a country that I, at least, would like to foster much better ties to.
Posted by: Timothy at February 26, 2006 9:15 PMIf it means we can choose who we buy our oil from based on our own best interests, not necessarily just price, then I'm all for it.
Posted by: Genecis at February 26, 2006 11:11 PMThey have to speed up the development of those solar roof tiles. Once the cost per tile is down enough, the urban landscape itself could become one massive, decentralised power generator.
Everyone fantasises about cutting off the oil money to these ME idiots, I just wish there was more of a sense that Western governments took the idea of finding something that worked serously enough to fund the research. I curse the hippies for co-opting this issue and making it look like another stupid greenie pipe-dream.
I'm assuming cold fusion is not going to pan out, and those wind farms are just dumb.
Posted by: Amos at February 27, 2006 1:17 AMAmos;
Solar panels aren't a very clean source of energy. The manufacturing process is quite dirty. It's like claiming electric heating is clean because you just plug in your heater and no pollution!
No one cares about cleanliness.
Posted by: oj at February 27, 2006 9:41 AM