petroleum

Senator Jeff Bingaman delivers a speech on the Senate floor pointing out the flaws in the Senate Republican energy proposal and calling instead for bipartisan support of a plan to put more oil on the market.The Senate is to vote on a Republican plan that would, among other things, open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to drilling. In his speech, however, Bingaman says that there are millions of acres yet to be leased in areas poised for drilling. And, he says, millions of other acres have been leased, but no drilling has yet occurred.

Senator Nelson argues that drilling in environmentally sensitive areas is not a remedy for rising fuel prices.

Did you know that regular old crayons (think Crayola) have petroleum in them? Petroleum is a fossil fuel – we often call it ‘oil’ and it runs cars, heats homes, etc. Is this something you want in your crayons?

This morning on NPR, President Bush tried to blame congress for the nation’s high gas, food, and electricity prices. Apparently, Congress has been thwarting the President’s attempts to fix the economy: “I’ve repeatedly submitted proposals to help address these problems,” the president said. “Yet time after time, Congress chose to block them.” His answer: Drill in ANWR.

Representative Ed Markey (D-MA), Chairman of the House Select Energy Independence and Global Warming Committee, discusses the solutions Democrats haveoffered for rising gasoline prices, and denounces Republican efforts to block them.

Currently, the average price for a gallon of E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) is $2.67. That’s amazing if you think about it, since a gallon of ethanol requires about 16 lbs. of corn to produce.

After covering 22 of the most popular myths about biodiesel, I realized I’d only given lip service to a major issue: increasing food prices. If I use biodiesel made from soybeans right now, am I contributing to the larger problem of increasing commodity prices and starving poor people?

 Representative Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) delivers pre-recorded remarks on peak oil, limits of oil supply and production and the history of the understanding of those limits.

Everything you ever wanted to know about biodiesel. While biodiesel is easily the most popular alternative fuel available, it’s commonly misunderstood or misrepresented by inaccurate information. Since the most frequent question I get is, “So what exactly is biodiesel, anyway?“, I decided to write a tome covering all the basics—a one stop shop for all your biodiesel- related questions.

Researchers are looking for new ways to use renewable sources like corn and switchgrass instead of petroleum as the raw ingredient in plastic.

The Renewable Fuels Association estimates that in 2015 it will take 1/3 of the total US corn harvest to meet ethanol quotas. That means that a 16% increase in corn production will have to support a 234% increase in the amount of corn being turned into vehicle fuel.

According to a recent report in the Chicago Tribune, global-warming pollution from oil refineries is expected to soar by as much as 40 percent during the next decade.

Heavy oils, in abundant supply, are no doubt going to make up a large part of our oil consumption in the not so far future. They are very hard to produce, and generally require heat to mobilize the sticky, tar-like substance. The most commonly used method is steam flooding, where steam is injected into the oil reservoir. But it takes energy to create the steam, which is typically produced by burning gas. Voila: a large carbon footprint.

There’s no doubt that growing corn-based ethanol has some serious problems: dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, controversy over increasing food prices, and questionable energy return. But how does the impact of ethanol production compare to not doing anything?

While virtually everyone is familiar with the use of biodiesel as a substitute for diesel fuel, there are a few novel uses that may not have crossed your radar. Biodiesel can produce hydrogen, clean up oil spills, degrease your tools, heat your home, and more.