Seeking an Alternative Fuel via the Free Market

Fire of Liberty

The Christian Science Monitor has a good article by Ron Scherer that shows the best solution to the development of alternative fuels for our vehicles from ethanol, shale, bio-mass(Even scraps from turkeys), used coal and tar-sands which is via the private/free enterprise sector. I'm all cool about the use and development of such fuels as long as the private sector and avoid getting in bed with the federal government and its corporate welfarism of federal subsidies. As long as you let the alternative energy folks remain in the private sector where innovation and a go get 'em spirit exists, you'll see these products come online much faster than if the government was providing them with massive funding and archaic rules and regulations. So here's a cheer for the private sector and its efforts to develop alternative fuels sources. Though these sources of fuel will never completely reduce our dependency on oil or some of them won't be viable or practical (Fuels made from used grease from restaurants will probably not make it because it gets too thick in winter) to buy, it's still a walk in the right direction. You got to love the private sector and its embrace of the ideals of the free market. Keep up the good work ya'll.


***This is where my friend Jason Crosby is right about the high price of gas and oil making folks seek more fuel efficient cars (You got to give it to GM for making flex-fuel cars, trucks, and SUVs even if ethanol is more expensive than regular gas.) as well as allowing energy companies money to invest in greater drilling, exploration as well as the development of alternative fuels like the ones mentioned above. So I'll chalk it up to Jason on this one but I'm still convince that the American public aren't ready for a Yugo that isn't nothing but a sardine can on wheels. All in all it's the people buying the gas and the cars that should influence the car companies efficiency standards rather than a call from Mt. Olympus (Washington D.C.). The market place is a far better judge than the hot-air balloons in our nation's capital.