Petroleum vs. 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.

Why do we think that oil, gas and coal don't cost our nation in countless indirect ways?

How much of Congress' time is devoted to energy policy, to international regulations aimed at protecting the flow of oil, tax considerations and other regulations to insure that the oil companies can continue drilling?

How much of the State Department's negotiations are designed around concerns about protecting our oil sources?

Have we partnered with thugs to get oil? Have we rebuffed honest governments? Those choices tax us in many indirect ways.

Then there's the Pentagon. Who could accurately calcuate the expenditures the Department of Defense spends, in maintaining military bases, moving troops and war machines (such as aircraft carriers) into positions selected to defend our dependence on oil?

And on top of that, we have a War on Terror. Good, bad, or neutral, it's highly unlikely that we would even have troops in the Middle East if not for fossil fuels.

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?

I'm not defending the people who are attacking America. I'm simply pointing out a historical fact: our dependence on oil has cost us dearly, in ways we have not formerly recognized.

And I'm not attacking the oil companies, either. Without fossil fuels, America could not have achieved our current position in the world; biofuels simply weren't practicable in the past.

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 with increased options, negotiation strength increases, and prices drop.

Are biofuels unaffordable? Maybe they were already the more economical energy source, even without the recent increases in fossil fuel prices.

Article Source: http://www.live-article.com

Article written by Josh Skandar, a contributor to booksXYZ.com, the on-line Bookstore supporting education. Josh is currently reading "Blooming Trees & Shrubs of the Coastal South," a great book on southern gardening.

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