Thank you Mr. Goldberg! It is nice to see that there are least a few folks who still have the ability to take a deep breath, step back from the "Green" hysteria, and view the big picture with a little common sense, historical perspective, and objective analysis.

There's no way right now that we can eliminate the use of "oil." We haven't invented a suitable substitute to date and ethanol has increased consumer fuel costs and it doesn't do what it was suppose to do. The politicians brought this disaster on Gulf Coast by forcing oil companies to drill in deeper waters, creating more risks and by catering to the whims of environmentalist who support them. And you can believe what you want but the truth is that the politicians weren't watching out for us by inspecting the rigs; they just had their hands outs getting more donations from those who bought them. The answer is to get rid of all incumbents in November and start over. We elect the same men and women over and over; like we are stuck on stupid and all they do is grossly mismanage America.

Thanks, Jonah. This is all good information and a great counter to the hysteria on the left.

However, not all "Green" initiatives counter-productive. Conservation should still be emphasized if for no other reason than to be good stewards of that which has been entrusted to us. "Reduce, reuse and recycle" still helps!

Brilliant. BTW, there is virtually no global warming, so all the green schemes are pure foolishness in response to pure BS.

let's farm the algae plumes and use them. biofuel. seems i read somewhere about this research being done?

Brian,

I'm with you on conservation and reduce and reuse. Not so much on recycling.

http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/06-when-recycling-is-bad-for-the-environment

http://realenvironment.blogspot.com/2006/10/is-recycling-bad-for-environment.html

http://people.clemson.edu/~wahoo/211/recycling%2520myths.pdf

http://julesmay.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/why-recycling-is-bad-for-the-environment/

Mr. Goldberg has at least one major error in his opinion article. “If all of our transport fuel came from biofuel, we would need 30 percent more land than all of the existing food-growing farmland we have today.” That's bad, but I have seen reports that we could grow enough algae on land not now used for food production to provide all of our transportation needs with biodiesel and have enough left over to export in viable quantities.

I keep hearing from those on the right that Entrepreneurship and Free Markets will solve most problems. I agree.

Energy should be priced to reflect all of its true costs such as the algae bloom that Mr. Goldberg cited, or the current Disaster in the Gulf. This pricing should include all the costs that this country spends to ensure that the oil flows. Defense, Foreign aid, every last red cent.

I liked the price of gasoline when it was .30 a gallon( 1968).

I still consider it a bargain at 2.75.(Today)

If it really cost 5.00 a gallon and I had to pay that I wouldn't like it, but I would adjust and learn to live with it. If my countries security and economy benefited from that and maybe my country spent less money and paid off some of it debt, I could really learn to live with that.

Alternative forms of energy are out there, many exist right now. As long as we all get the deal of the century on the price of a gallon of Gasoline and pay the other 2.25 somewhere else then those Entrepreneurs and Free Markets will never get a chance to work and we will continue to hemorrhage dollars.

Some points not made about ethanol, it takes more BTU's to produce than you get out of it. Mother Nature is a bitch about the laws of physics and chemistry. Using corn to produce ethanol takes corn out of food production for people and animals. Watch what happens to the price of food, what it is already happening. Ethanol also absorbs moisture. Anyone want to pour water in their gas tank?

Oil is also the main ingrediant in plastics. When was the last time you bought an item that did not have plastic in it or was entirely plastic? Also more and more building products are plastics.

Most of the above are saying things I have said for some time preceding the current crises: destruction of oxygen-producing forests, co-opting food production land to produce biofuels, etc. We maybe could grow energy producing algae on non-food land. But that would cover much of our recreational land. And, how much energy is consumed to convert vegetation to biofuels? I have noticed a ten percent or better reduction in the mpg's of my vehicles over the years since the introduction of "up to 10% ethanol" in the gasoline I burn.

Much of our social and energy problems are brought about by metastasizing populations of human beings. Let us consider that for once.

ChuckL:

"I have seen reports that we could grow enough algae on land not now used for food production to provide all of our transportation needs with biodiesel and have enough left over to export in viable quantities."

The land to which you refer must be doing something. Other than D.C., I can't think of many places I'd recommend for algae farms.

Good article, Mr. Goldberg! However, one thing I consistently see left out of conservative articles on oil is the fact that oil does not just fuel transportation. We use oil for so many products, probably the biggest being plastics. If we could find some way to run cars, trucks, and planes on something other than fossil fuels tomorrow, we'd still be dependent on oil. Not as much, of course, but the "green" dream of eliminating the use of fossil fuels is craziness. Of course, leftists are not used to looking at the big picture, so what can we expect?

re: "Much of our social and energy problems are brought about by metastasizing populations of human beings. Let us consider that for once."

I think we've considered it - but those doing the "considering" aren't the ones doing the populating. What are you recommending?

Folks, the sad story is that our Grand Country runs of fossil fuels. Say what you will about corn into fuel or algae into fuel but all this stuff is what pipe dreams are made of. We have the mess in the gulf because of idiots that would not let drilling happen on dry land where we can control what happens but rather forced the oil companies to go to sea where most drilling is done at a depth where control is lost. As for the bio-fuels, the government is more than happy to see this. It is a known fact that they just don't have the "bang" that gasoline or real diesel has. Generally with 10% methanol added to gasoline you lose approximately 10% of your gas mileage, and since you pay tax on how many gallons you buy the state is the only one who profits. If we all use our heads, we can plan for the future instead of destroying it.