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Article By: JoshSkandar
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Fossil Fuels, not Biofuels?
One of the constant complaints about biofuels is that they simply aren't economically feasible. They aren't competitive with petroleum without heavy government subsidies.
Where did we get the idea that fossil fuels aren't underwritten by the federal government?
A tremendous amount of time and human energy in the Beltway are focused on insuring that fossil fuels continue to be available to our citizens. Is that not a cost?
The Secretary of State and his/her Department spend an enormous amount of their resources trying to keep the flow of oil continuing to the US. That's not free.
Have we partnered with thugs to get oil? Have we rebuffed honest governments? Those choices tax us in many indirect ways.
And then there's the Biggie: the Army, the Navy, the Marines. Can anyone put a price tag on their deployment around the globe, so that they may protect our oil supplies?
Consider our current wars in the Middle East. Many people think they are crucial to our way of life, others think they are ridiculous. Either way, would we even BE there if not for our need for petroleum?
For that matter, how much presence would we have, or need, in the center of the Islamic World, without oil? Would extremists attack us? Would so much of the Muslim world hate us?
This is not an attack of our current energy policy, nor is it a defense of armed radicals. It's just a call for a more accurate calculation of real costs.
And I'm not blaming big oil, either. Without our oil companies, the USA never gets to where we are today.
But when we talk about the costs of a product, we need to consider extrinsic costs, too. If America is to remain strong, all possibilities need to be examined carefully. Natural fuels won't replace fossil fuels quickly, but they give us choices in the world; they give us more sources, more countries to buy fuel stocks from. Every country in the world produces agricultural products.
And the more that we use biofuels, then the peripheral costs to oil-- the indirect subsidies-- will decrease.
Even without the recent increases in gas prices, biofuels may already be cheaper than petroleum.
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About the Author
Article written by Josh Skandar, a supporter of booksXYZ.com, the Nonprofit Bookstore supporting education. Josh is currently reading "Blooming Trees & Shrubs of the Coastal South," a great book on southern gardening.
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