All companies have to re-invest any profits (supposedly helping competitive companies grow), or pay tax on their profits. Apparently Exxon wants to use their recent profits to slow (or be one of the few providers of) Bio-Diesel.
No new petro-oil refineries have been allowed to be built in the US in the last 30 years by "environmentalists", and the US has recently had to import refined fuel to keep up with the demand, showing we are becoming even more vulnerable.
Jumbo-tankers from South America, Africa, Middle East, etc, unload crude oil into refineries on the coast, which are succeptable to the next big hurricane.
Iran can buy a Russian nuke warhead from a rogue Colonel in "nutcase-istan", and have Hezbollah drive it into North Israel and detonate it. If the US is divided now, how would the US public react to a nuke going off in the middle east? If we pull US troops out and "nuke 'em all", what will that do to fuel prices?
What I'm getting at is that all the pieces are in place for there to be a major crisis in mobile fuels, and instead of Exxon building lots of bio-diesel and ethanol refineries to be a major player in the fuels transition, they want a short leash on any options, with only the oil companies holding the good cards in the game.
None of the viable transportation alternatives are as cheap, convenient, reliable, and long-lasting as a gasoline Toyota Corolla...but if there's a crisis, a lot of people will be rushing to buy the next best thing which will be sold out and back ordered. Here's my picks:
1. Electric bike for short trips in nice weather.
2. Gasoline 4-cyl vehicle with a Propane dual fuel kit.
3. 50 MPG VW turbo-diesel rabbit adding second tank with fuel heater so I can use vegetable oil, bio-diesel, or regular diesel.
4. New Honda Civic GX using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) can be mixed 50/50 with electrolyzed hydrogen (not hydroxy).
5. Brew ethanol, convert motorcycle, 40% bigger jets, 12:1 compression ratio. (not for me)
6. Small car converted to electric, several companies will convert Chevy S-10 for $15,000+, also must wait several months. (not for me)
I don't want to be one of those people who gets to the "I hate big oil" rallies in something that burns an oil product, because you just KNOW those oil guys are really getting a good laugh about that behind closed doors... but I gotta talk the wife into us doing something different NOW, or I'm just "polishing the brass on the Titanic" -RonStatistics: Posted by spinning-magnets — Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:55 pm
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