But natural gas prices are in a long term uptrend over the past 20 years. Take a look at the chart here
You have probably seen that natural gas is also part of the Peak Oil theory, as is coal. They will all peak, but not at the same time. Natural gas production will peak later than oil, coal production quite a bit later still. Coal is headed up, too. Oil is peaking now or already has, the price increase meaning we are past the easy oil peak.
Professor decries use of ethanol in gasolineEthanol costs more energy to make (from plowing to harvest plus) than it contains. It would be one thing if the fuel used to do the chores were otherwise wasted (IOW, made from various slop that had to be disposed of some other way), but the same problem exists there.
Ithaca Journal ^ | Saturday, August 2, 2003 | By JESSICA KELTZ
Posted on 08/02/2003 6:46:51 AM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines
ITHACA -- A Cornell University professor has published a study he says cements his assertion that ethanol is a less efficient, more environmentally harmful fuel than gasoline.
David Pimentel, an emeritus professor of ecology, has been studying ethanol for about 25 years, leading a Department of Energy study on the subject in 1980. Ethanol is a corn byproduct that is combined with gasoline to make gasohol, a gasoline substitute that proponents claim lowers pollution and eases demand for foreign oil.
Because corn production uses more pesticides than any other field crop, and because millions of dollars in government subsidies are required to make the fuel profitable, he says it's inefficient, expensive and harmful to the environment.
"It takes more energy to produce a gallon of ethanol than you get out of it," Pimentel said. "The reason they're producing it is taxpayer money has been increasing. This is what makes it profitable."
Pimentel said he looks into the issue periodically because subsidy levels and technology change. This time he found that gasohol costs more and gets less miles per gallon. He said $1.4 billion in taxpayer subsidies support the fuel and food prices go up because corn used to feed cattle costs more as an result.
Excerpted - click for full article ^
Source: http://www.theithacajournal.com/news/stories/20030802/localnews/573036.html