Anyone with half a brain could have said the same thing 30 (40?) years ago. I'll belive it when I see it. The presence of Bud McFarlane in this group gives me chills. He was the original war for oil guy.

Well, McFarlane certainly seems to have changed his stripes. Maybe seeing the fiasco in Iraq converted him.
-
I laud any voices that pinpoint the oil monopoly and it's disasterous effects on the U.S.

Oil monopoly is the case, try to get E85 and NG into fueling stations owned or franchised by the big oil companies. They do not produce it and would not want it, lobbying would go into high gear. Exxon's recent bid for that large natural gas company has more to power plants than cars.

With ANG, the owner can now sell natural gas he buys at $1 per GGE for $2. Those are much higher margins than the 10 cents per gallon on gasoline. This will not be allowed for obvious reasons unless there is a law mandating it as a nation energy security issue.

SJC - FFVs and Electrified vehicles could easily co-exist during the transition period, for at least 2 to 3 decades. One type would progressively be phased in while the other would be phased out.

Many may be surprised to learn that Canada is by far the number one supplier of crude oil to USA, with an average of 2.5 million barrel per day and potentially going up. When NG and Electricity are added, the total energy imported from Canada becomes even more important.

How long can USA keep importing energy at the rate of over $1B+/day without affecting the value of the USD?

Can USA produce enough liquid fuel energy locally and produce enough food for a growing population at the same time?

Accellerated electrification of vehicles and HVAC may become a neccessity to correct the current huge trade deficit, reduce the cost of Oil Wars and GHG.

Ultra high efficiency (26+ SEER) cold weather air-air heat pumps and improved insulation could do a lot to reduce the energy used to heat and cool residences by up to 50%.

Of course, the massive introduction of HEVs, PHEVs and BEVs + electrified trains could reduce liquid fuel consumption by up 70%.

All the technologies required are available to replace crude oil with clean electricity for up to 66% of all current uses.

With enough electrification, USA, Mexico and Canada could produce enough Crude oil, Agro-fuel, Bio-fuel, NG and clean electricity for all their needs and stop importing Crude oil from outside North America.

The collective will to do it is still missing in USA and Western Canada but, when more Americans and Canadians realize that their current addiction to Oil produced extended endless costly wars, they may (hopefully) start to change their mind.

GHG, climate change, increased health care are more reasons to react but they are not the only one.

An important thing to remember sjc.. The h2 group doesnt actauly plan to put reformers at all that many of its h2 pumps early on. They only need a tank and dispencer until local demand gets large enough to warrent a h2 generation system on site.

Um most of the current h2 filling stations are in fact supplied by trucks. Over the long run they will make the trucks better and install pipelines and on site reformers and electrolyzers but for now a simple tube truck is realy all they need.

"In California, for instance there are over 9,500 retail gasoline stations, but some public agencies are calling for as few as 500 hydrogen stations (the same amount as current diesel stations) needed to cover the state. If only 500 stations are needed then the total cost for those stations would be around $126 million..."

http://www.hydrogencarsnow.com/blog2/index.php/infrastructure/cost-of-hydrogen-fueling-infrastructure/

So about $250,000 per, which was my estimate. Considering that almost NO one would use them in the time frame that we need a solution, I would not call it a solution.

Right now H2 IS trucked to the few stations that there are and the use is small with few vehicles that can use it. You really do NOT want to truck nor pipe large quantities of H2 long distances to the stations, when ever they will arrive.

It is not a problem of too little H2 for sale nor too few H2 vehicles. Burning H2 does not seem like the way to go and fuel cells are a LONG ways away in any significant numbers. NG as CNG or ANG is more viable, but FFVs and biofuels are easier yet. Get trucks, buses and cars off of gasoline and diesel ASAP at the lowest cost and best benefit.

I think it's important to have a "Security Fee" and to call it such. People need to know that every gallon they burn contributes to what our military has to do.

It doesn't matter whether you're a liberal or a conservative, it is a simple FACT that we have to guard pipelines and spend troops in the middle east because we use that oil.

Calling it a "carbon tax" or anything else is stupid. It let's people argue about whether or not we have man made global warming. Leave that as a separate tax for politicians and others to argue about.

We simply DO pay for the troops and the military presence to make this oil flow possible. It should be reflected in our use of oil as openly as possible: a "Security Fee".

I come from a proud, southern, military family and I'll always support our troops. But I sure would like to stop sending them in harms way when not needed.

We have an oil industry and dependence that is 100 years in the making, it will not change over night. It may be more inertia than a plot. Although when huge amounts of money and profits are involved we can all count on people wanting it to stay the same way. Exxon bought into natural gas for power plants and not cars. It is a hedge for them that really can not lose. They either make a ton or most of a ton.

A 'dollar to surface oil' yields a few dollars per gallon market yields Bush oil buddies contracts still getting hundreds per gallon fuel delivery in a war theater that Bush invaded for creating war is not simply "100 years in the making."

Now, after eight years since liberating Afghanistan(5 years since 'mission accomplished'), a new President -Nobel "Peace Prize" - doubles our invading occupying military forces and resides over "$100+/month fines" to blackmail those already too poor to pay "$1000(s) per month" to medical insurance terrorist legislation.

Are you, your kids, your parents, or your grandparents really worried more about Afghanistan than paying for 20% 'co-pay' healthcare(100% cash if uninsured) in "the land of the free"? The American 'for-profit medically insured' already account for most US bankruptcies.

Don't forget, if you have preconditions(not perfect 18 year-old-health) or miss two months of premiums - you may never be admitted to a doctor or hospital again and die.

Oil’s the small monopoly..