Nothing I've read convinces me that ethanol is net energy positive. And you are mining the topsoil as you convert the incoming solar energy.
But, at current oil prices, we might find Colorado oil shale, coal gasification, and (already in production) Canadian tar sands able to change our dependence. The problem is that the Arabs will still have the cheap marginal production, and can turn supply up and down to twiddle prices and make these other sources less economic.
Yeah, but doesn't it still accomplish the same goal? Forcing the Arabs to drop their price keeps our money out of their evil hands. They've got huge welfare states to support; the price of crude wouldn't have to go that low before they'd be in a world of hurt, with their own populations turning on them.
Yeah, but doesn't it still accomplish the same goal? Forcing the Arabs to drop their price keeps our money out of their evil hands. They've got huge welfare states to support; the price of crude wouldn't have to go that low before they'd be in a world of hurt, with their own populations turning on them.