Bio-Fools

by Max Schulz - March 2nd, 2009 - American Spectator

Again and again I argue with environmental extremists on why their half baked ideas for replacing what they still insist on calling fossil fuels, (fifty years after it has been proved the fuels never came from fossils) with what they call green fuels, will not work and have no value. The stupid and ignorant illusion petroleum came from fossils has been disproved for all but the stupid and ignorant. Yet you cannot get environmentalists to acknowledge that concept any more that you can get them to stop "solving" the energy crisis with other truly ignorant concepts.

This article by Max Schultz documents several bizarre schemes, from the liposuction doctor who promised to recycle your tummy fat into biodiesel to Willie Nelson's bankrupt attempt to promote making farmers rich by growing corn and turning that into ethanol. Though Willie has fallen by the wayside, many still pursue this pipe dream. My favorite though was the following:

Before his career was ruined by a DUI and revelations that he fathered a child with his mistress, [Long Island congressman Vito] Fossella stumped for legislation to double the federal tax credit for using restaurant grease as fuel: "From cooking fried calamari to powering trucks," he announced, "restaurant grease represents a viable energy source for our nation."

Except it doesn't, not by a long shot. As Terrestrial Energy points out, if all the kitchen grease in all the world's McDonald's restaurants were converted to biodiesel, it would amount to 75,000 barrels per day, or approximately .004 percent of America's daily oil consumption. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, all U.S. restaurants produce 300 million gallons of waste oil per year. That's about one gallon for every American.

If you can get by paying $10 for your ONE gallon of gas per year, bio-diesel from cooking oils is a great idea. I use a little more than a gallon of fuel a year though. How about you?

ROTFL