$10 a barrel- driverless cars

[Guest NC1406]

homer do you happen to have an investment in a carbon exchange or something? You keep pushing that agenda in this thread. You have your views on the subject which I don't agree with. Your theory that alternative energy will not come to market is nonsense...we didn't need portable phones or smart phones for that matter but we have them because of consumer demand.

I did not start this thread which is about taxing carbon-based fuels. I am defending the idea as a good one, which it is.

The phone analogy doesn't work. There were no barriers to marketing a personal phone you could carry in your pocket. The transition was seamless.

It is nonsense to assume alternative energy sources will displace carbon-based sources on their own. That strategy by definition assumes we will continue to use carbon-based fuels for a long, long time, which we don't have.

Algae with Power Plants

1) Homer, I disagree with you and the analogy of the phones is something I guess you don't get from your earlier statements.

2) You say get rid of all carbon based fuels which won't happen as biodiesel is here to stay because it works.

3) Also, How do you propose to fly airplanes without carbon based fuels?

1) I don't really understand this. But there were no barriers to entry for cell phones while there are enormous barriers to entry for non-carbon fuels. That's just fact.

2) You are probably right in that we'll never eliminate all carbon based fuels. I don't see the connection of that to biodiesel, which is also a carbon-based fuel at any rate. Switching to renewable carbon-based fuel won't solve the problem of adding carbon to the atmosphere.

3) Good question. I would expect military aviation would continue with hydrocarbon fuels. Civilian aviation would become progressively more expensive and ultimately be replaced with something like high speed rail.

Bottom line, future transportation systems will be electrically powered.

We deliver a poop load of diesel to electric plants this time of year. Electric is not as clean as it appears.

Oh and let me add many demand no bio (even at 5%).

I didn't mean to imply that electric is inherently cleaner because it's electricity. Coal fired electric plants are extremely dirty.

I was referring to the fact that electricity - derived from non-carbon-emitting sources - will ultimately be the form of energy that drives transportation. I suppose hydrogen would be another candidate, but it will be produced with electricity too.

Not opposed to electric but natural gas might be an easier and more economically feasible option. Our company won't be the first over the hill to take the arrows but we could make that transition. The investment would be substantial. Will not switch without clear indicators that it is time.