 
### Death of a Gas Guzzler:

A Controversial Approach to Reducing Foreign Oil Dependence

By Luis D. Aponte

### Death of a Gas Guzzler:

A Controversial Approach to Reducing Foreign Oil Dependence

By Luis D. Aponte

Copyright 2011 Luis D. Aponte

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To the young lady I met in the Orlando International Airport in 2006, returning home and carrying her father's folded American flag and to the other brave men and women who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars... You are not forgotten.

" _We've embarked on the beginning of the last days of the age of oil. Embrace the future and recognize the growing demand for a wide range of fuels or ignore reality and slowly—but surely—be left behind."_

\- Mike Bowlin, chairman and CEO of ARCO (now BP), 1999

Table of Contents

Dear President of the United States

The Fable of Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby

What Energy Crisis?

The Legacy of Former President George W. Bush

The Rice Farmer

Interview with Dr. Fesharaki

Taking a Lesson from the Digital TV Transition

Increasing CAFÉ Fuel Efficiency Standards is Too Dangerous!

My Name is America, and I'm an Addict

Whose Interests Are Being Served?

Fun Automotive Facts

Dangers of the Modern Vehicle

Reducing Foreign Oil Dependence: 80 - 10,000+ Miles Per Gallon

Charles N. Pogue

Tom Ogle

Killing the Supercar

Trash Talking and Petrol Lattes

The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE (PIAXP)

Promising Alternative Fuels

Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Algae

Methane

Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO)

Used Coffee Beans

Industrial Hemp

Promising Alternative Propulsion

Compressed Air

Hydraulic Hybrids

Electric Vehicles (EV)

Why I Believe Corporate Bailouts Are a Mistake

The Self-Sustainable Kingdom

Great Depression Mentality

Lessons Learned as a Teacher in China

How Brer Rabbit Outsmarted the Hungry Brer Fox

We Can Not Wait for the Government or Corporate America

Further Reading

Organizations / Individual Websites

Present 100+ MPG or MPGe (Energy Equivalent) Vehicles

U.S. Patents Owned by Auto and Oil Companies

Bibliography

About the Author

INTRODUCTION

By Dr. Collin J. Campbell

By way of an introduction to this important book, it might be useful to set the scene with an historical perspective, touching on the relationships between money, population, and oil.

The first signs of life appeared on our planet more than 500 million years ago, but modern humans showed up only 200,000 years ago. At first, we lived by hunting and gathering; but then, around 12,000 years ago at a time of global cooling, we turned to settled agriculture. One of the places that pioneered the change was the Jordan Valley, bordering the eastern Mediterranean.

Crops could be harvested but once a year, meaning that they had to be stored for the remainder. The people there had adopted a monotheistic religion that played a central part in their lives, inspiring and justifying their actions. The storehouses were run by the communities with their religious links, and developed an early form of accounting to keep track of how much the farmers delivered and how much was returned to them. There was obviously scope for exploitation if the storehouse gave back less than it received, or gave preference to the privileged members of the community. The practice of debt arose as people were forced to borrow food before their harvest arrived. This also may have led to excesses. The Old Testament book of Deuteronomy set the rules: Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shall not. The early Christian Church also condemned the practice.

Another new element arose when someone found a rare nugget of gold in a river bed, being attracted by its shiny surface. Humans may have shown it to a neighbor who liked it even more, offering to exchange it for a sack of corn. It gradually became a medium of exchange, its value being underwritten by its scarcity. But it was heavy stuff to carry around, which led a storekeeper to offer to store it against a receipt, which acquired the value of the gold itself, becoming a currency, facilitating barter. An enterprising storekeeper soon found he could issue more receipts than he had gold on deposit, confident that not everyone would cash in simultaneously, laying the foundations for fractional banking. Nevertheless, trade with its necessary financial backing, expanded, and successful countries built empires.

Stone Age humans fashioned flints into knives and arrowheads before people turned to bronze, iron, and steel for better tools and weapons. Wood and charcoal were used as a fuel for smelting before people turned to coal. It was more efficient and gave rise to the so-called Industrial Revolution which dawned about 200 years ago. But, when the coal pits were deepened, they were subject to flooding as they hit the water table. Draining the pits led to one of the most remarkable technological innovations of all time. The hand pump gave way to the steam pump, which in turn became the steam engine facilitating industry, transport, trade and agriculture. Then, in around 1880, a German engineer found a way to inject the fuel directly into the cylinder, inventing the Internal Combustion Engine, which was much more efficient. At first, it used benzene distilled from coal, before turning to petroleum refined from crude oil.

The oil industry was born and began to have a huge impact fuelling an expanding world, whose population grew six-fold in parallel. The early explorers had little difficulty in finding the prime provinces and the major fields within them, which were too big to miss. In fact, the largest province of all, bordering the Persian Gulf, was discovered almost exactly 100 years ago when a well in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains of Iran blew out, sending a plume of oil into the sky with far reaching consequences.

Advances in the science of petroleum geology revealed that oil was formed but rarely under special conditions in the geological past, especially in two extreme epochs of global warming 90 and 150 million years ago. Its finite nature became evident implying the production in any field, country, or region had a life, passing its peak at the so-called Midpoint of Depletion when half the total had been extracted. It follows that for every gallon used, one less remains. It is a simple concept to grasp, and the status of depletion would be self-evident were valid and consistent data available to the public. That is far from the case: there is no standard definition for the boundary between so-called conventional and unconventional oils which deplete at different rates and costs. Stock Exchange rules, designed to prevent fraudulent exaggeration, allowed the oil companies to report reserves cautiously, which made good sense. The resulting upward revisions provided a comforting, if misleading image, to the Stock Exchange. The OPEC countries for their part over-reported in the 1980s, as they vied with each other for production quota, based on reported reserves.

It is a large and complex subject. Suffice it to say that the peak of discovery in the 1960s, which is a matter of historical fact, delivered a corresponding peak of Regular Conventional Oil production in 2005. The shortfall was made up by expensive Non conventional oil from deepwater fields and tar sands, but prices surged to reach a peak of almost $150 a barrel by mid 2008, which may have coincided with the peak of all categories of oil production. The high prices delivered a flood of petro-dollars to the Middle East where it still costs $10-20 to produce a barrel, and the surplus was returned to international financial institutions, undermining their stability. The high prices also triggered a worldwide recession that dampened demand that took the pressure off price. Governments are now issuing yet more loans lacking genuine collateral in an effort to stimulate consumerism and restore past prosperity. Any success is likely to be brief before rising oil demand passes the supply barrier prompting another price surge and deepening recession.

A debate rages as to the precise date of peak production, but misses the point when what matters is the vision of the long decline on the other side of it. This promises to be a turning point of historical magnitude, given the central place of oil in fuelling the modern economy and especially its agriculture. To-day, some 29 billion barrels of oil a year support a population of 6.7 billion people, but by 2050 there will be enough to sustain less than half that number in their present way of life.

This splendid book examines the situation and looks ahead to see how Society may evolve in the new circumstances. It is obvious that a failure to adapt means fewer people. The transition threatens to be a time of great economic, political, and geopolitical tension. It is critically important for people to understand that the new circumstances are imposed by Nature and are not a conspiracy by Arabs or oil companies.

As the book explains, this is not necessarily a doomsday message as the survivors may find a more benign way of life as they come to build greater respect for themselves, their neighbors and above all the environment in which Nature has ordained them to live. It is essential reading.

Colin J. Campbell

After finishing a Ph.D. in geology at Oxford University, Campbell joined Texaco in 1958 as an exploration geologist in South America, later moving to BP with assignments in Colombia, Australia, and Papua. In 1968, he joined Amoco in New York as regional geologist for Latin America, becoming Chief Geologist in Ecuador in 1969. With the opening of the North Sea, he returned to England in 1972 as General Manager of the Texas independent Shenandoah Oil Corporation, before rejoining Amoco to become Exploration Manager in Norway in 1980. In 1985, he was appointed Executive Vice-President of Fina in Norway. He then became a petroleum consultant and had commissions from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate; the Bulgarian government; the European Commission; Amoco; Shell; Esso; Amerada; Mobil; and others. He specialized in oil resource assessment. He has published many papers and five books, the last being the Atlas of Oil and Gas Depletion, which is a compilation of the depletion profiles of 63 countries into regional and world totals (ISBN 978-1-906600-42-6), co-authored with Siobhan Heapes. He has retired to the west of Ireland but still receives much media attention, as the world wakes up to the Peak Oil issue.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank all the people who helped make this book possible; those who generously offered their honest feedback; and to President Barack Obama for graciously accepting the first version of this book without sending the Secret Service or FBI after me for interrogation. I would like to thank Dr. Fereidun Fesharaki in Hawaii who introduced me to his vast knowledge of the oil and gas markets and the concept of peak oil. Your guidance has led me on an incredible journey that has changed my life. My sincere gratitude goes to Dr. Colin J. Campbell who generously shared his valuable expertise and insight into the petroleum industry with me and offered to write the foreword to this book without reservation. I would also like to thank the staff of the Winnipeg Public Library in Canada, the El Paso Public Library in Texas, and the Department of the U.S. Army Freedom of Information Act for their diligent efforts in assisting me with my research. Your helpful staff are worth their weight in gold. Special thanks go to Kevin Anderson and his talented editors at All Ivy Writing Services Inc. Your reputation is well-deserved and I look forward to working with you again. Last, but not least, I would like to thank my family, close friends, and the brilliant members of The Write Stuff Meetup Group for their wonderful support, inspiration, honest feedback, and constant encouragement. This incredible journey would not have been possible without all of you. Mahalo!

Dear President of the United States

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This book was originally formatted as an extensive letter to the President of the United States, expressing my concerns and fears about suppressed information in the auto industry and how depending on petroleum is affecting our military, economy, and overall quality of life. I am a U.S. Air Force veteran who has worked at nuclear technology facilities and taught English in a small coal mining town in China, and I maintain a social networking website that encourages the online community to share ideas of how we can reduce our dependence on petroleum.

I have written this book because there is a very significant topic that has not gotten enough attention since the oil embargo of 1973 and the oil crisis of 1979. It's a subject that involves brilliant inventors and inventions that have somehow been forgotten, suppressed, or ignored. This conversation has been reduced to conspiracy whispers in dark corners, infinitesimal articles featured in local newspapers, and information occasionally exposed in an independent documentary. I will attempt to demonstrate how this tragedy has dramatically and directly affected everyone in terms of our energy resources, transportation, foreign relations, food quality and prices, public health, and our responsibility to the environment - but not in that order, of course.

My hope is to open an interactive public dialogue on transportation and energy, as well as investigate why are we able to send land vehicles to Mars, fly unmanned aircraft vehicles to gather intelligence in the far corners of the earth, and force everyone in this country to switch from analog to digital television, yet we can barely improve the average fuel efficiency in the American auto industry beyond 7% in the last 24 years?

I'm sure many of you might appreciate how amazing it is that a high school team in France was ingenious enough to make a combustion engine achieve approximately 9,845 miles per gallon in 1999; 10,227 mpg in 2001; and 10,705 mpg in 2003. (Yes, you read correctly. Those are comas, not periods.) I'm sure you would agree that it is an embarrassment and disgrace that the wealthiest auto institutions in the United States have claimed that they do not have the capability to mass produce safe and appealing vehicles that are able to achieve at least 1-2% of that figure (at least 107-214 mpg).

My research into the auto and oil industries began several years after I served in the United States Air Force, and my younger brother deployed to Iraq as a Marine. He is impatient, brave, and slightly arrogant, but we love him dearly and lost sleep, hoping and praying he would return home safely. After four years, we were fortunate and incredibly grateful that my brother returned home with nothing more than a permanent knee injury.

While my brother was stationed in the Middle East, I was astonished by the debates over the legitimacy and legality of our presence in Iraq. I even lost old family friends over disagreements about the war. After a number of sobering confrontations, I chose to refrain from voicing any personal political opinions because it was more important for me to preserve my relationships, rather than express my personal ideologies to those that adamantly did not care.

Then the day came when I was working for Homeland Security at the Orlando International Airport as a Transportation Security Administration Officer. It was a typical busy evening until a beautiful young lady, whom I will never forget, arrived in my screening line and immediately caught my attention. She had a look on her face as if she was numb from utter sadness, yet her composure showed her inner strength. She carried a triangular wooden box almost as tenderly as a woman would hold a newborn child. Being a military veteran, I recognized it instantly and seemed to be the only one who noticed. The dark wooden box she was carrying contained the folded American flag from her father's military funeral. I introduced myself to her, said "thank you" for her father's brave sacrifice, and carefully handled her dad's tribute to his country through the x-ray machine. Her family was not as fortunate as mine. Her father was one of the soldiers who lost his life in Iraq.

During the following summer of 2008, the average cost of regular gasoline rose to approximately $4.11 per gallon. Threats of oil prices potentially rising to $200 per barrel were circulating throughout the media. Like most people, I did not understand why gas prices rose as quickly as they did, nor did I realize how many different industries were directly affected. Most importantly, like most people, I felt as though we Americans were powerless to do anything about it. It was then that I was determined to learn as much as I could about potential solutions to our petroleum addiction and to document all that I discovered. Fortunately, there is no shortage of resources to draw from when it comes to alternative energy. However, when I researched technology that may already exist in order to dramatically and immediately improve automobile fuel efficiency to reduce our nation's dependence on petroleum, it was disturbing to find that there seems to be very limited or filtered information on the subject, by comparison.

The same summer, I returned to my childhood home in Hawaii to visit a close friend. I wanted to begin researching the auto and oil industries, and since Hawaii is actively involved in finding ways to become energy independent, I thought the University of Hawaii and the East-West Center was a great place to start. What I learned upon completing my research and personal interviews completely contradicted my initial and uninformed reactions. As a result, I felt strongly compelled to share my unexpected findings with you — including patents filed in the 1930s and 1970s that allowed vehicles to travel up to 200 miles per gallon.

The Fable of Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby

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This dilemma we face reminds me of one of my favorite childhood folktales. The story of Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby originated in Cherokee folklore, making its way into southern African-American culture. Perhaps I am drawn to these stories because of my interest in the history of Native American slavery among the Taino tribes in my own Puerto Rican heritage.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a tar baby as "A situation or problem from which it is virtually impossible to disentangle oneself." The story I am about to share with you was originally printed in the 1845 edition of the Cherokee Advocate, and eventually evolved into what we now know as "Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby." This is one of several clever narratives featured in The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit.

The tale begins with a very cunning and hungry fox by the name of Brer Fox who comes up with a plan to outsmart and catch a very clever character named Brer Rabbit by molding a batch of tar into the shape of a small person. He decides to call this little contraption a tar baby.

Early one spring morning, Brer Fox places the tar baby along Brer Rabbit's favorite trail. As Brer Rabbit is hopping along his usual path, he passes by the tar baby sitting off to the side of the dirt road and enthusiastically says, "Good morning! Nice day, isn't it?" The tar baby doesn't respond.

Brer Rabbit raises his voice and repeats, "Ahem! Good morning! Nice day, isn't it?" Annoyed with the lack of response, he decides to punch him square in the face. Being made out of sticky tar, Brer Rabbit's hand gets stuck in the tar baby's face. He yells, "Let me go or I'll really pop you one!"

Unable to free himself, Brer Rabbit hits the tar baby with his other fist, as Brer Fox chuckles to himself and remains hidden. Brer Rabbit twists and turns, but now both of his hands are stuck.

Now getting really furious, Brer Rabbit kicks the tar baby in his stomach and gets his foot stuck as well, and yet, Brer Fox still remains hidden.

As Brer Rabbit tries to keep his balance by hopping on one leg and yelling all kinds of insults, he makes one final desperate attempt to free himself and head-butts the Tar Baby, only to get himself completely stuck in the tar.

At that moment, unable to control his evil laughter, the hungry Brer Fox comes out from hiding in the bushes. All seems hopeless for Brer Rabbit.

Folk tales have a wonderful metaphorical way of demonstrating important lessons. This story in particular has a wealth of symbolism that can be applied to modern events. Take, for instance, the auto and oil industries. I believe most informed individuals are aware (or at least suspect) that we as a global community are approaching an energy crisis. The public also knows that they are stuck and are at the mercy of the elite few who control the politics and the resources surrounding petroleum. This is what I call our "trillion dollar tar baby." However, I also believe that you have the unprecedented potential to be a powerful force in helping to reverse this self-defeating trend.

What Energy Crisis?

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In 1969, renowned American geologist M. King Hubbert used a mathematical bell curve to demonstrate the terminal decline of global oil production. The results he presented to the American Petroleum Institute accurately predicted the peak of conventional oil production in the continental United States from 1965 to 1970. The impact of his theory stirred the scientific world.

According to Professor Kenneth S. Deffeyes of Princeton University, a former geologist for Shell research labs in Houston and the author of Beyond Oil (2005), we are currently on the downward curve of world oil production. He illustrates the production of oil for the past 50 years using Hubbert's mathematical bell curve model often referred to as "Hubbert's Peak." This illustration looks more like an Olympic ski jump without a ramp to launch off at the bottom of the hill. You may recognize its more familiar name, "Peak Oil." Put simply; this is the scientific and logical conclusion that oil will eventually cease to be available—no matter how much money or military power any country has. I will attempt to demonstrate how it is perfectly reasonable to conclude that relying on a limited, foreign energy and fossil fuel source places our national security, environment, and economic foundations at grave risk.

The second looming energy crisis involves the potential sequel to the 1973 oil embargo initiated by the OAPEC nations (the Arab members of OPEC, in addition to Egypt and Syria) against the United States due to our support for Israel. As you already know, among the top five countries that we currently depend on to supply petroleum to the United States are Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. Due to the current strained relations we have with Venezuela (which has publicly and repeatedly echoed threats to cut off their oil supply to the United States) and Iran (which has attempted to convince Saudi Arabia to cut off oil supplies to the United States), you may understand my level of concern when it comes to the potential disaster this kind of economic and political leverage may cause our nation.

Most citizens have experienced the direct effects of this phenomenon on a significant level. As gas prices skyrocketed during the summer of 2008, and world stock markets fell dramatically later that year, the demand for oil went down, and so did the price of gasoline. However, as the world's population continues to grow, so will the demand for oil, thus promising the return of even higher gas prices. Our enemies understand this and are planning accordingly as they receive instructions to "Focus your operations on oil, especially in Iraq and the Gulf area, since this will cause them to die off [on their own]." These were the words Osama bin Laden.

For decades, U.S. presidents and presidential candidates have publicly acknowledged our energy crisis and talked about a mythological vision known as "energy independence," leaving us hanging in the wind, with no legacy of integrity or enduring, tangible results to build upon:

President Richard Nixon, January 20, 1969. Courtesy of the Richard Nixon Library.

"We will lay the foundation for our future capacity to meet America's energy needs from America's own resources." - **President Richard Nixon, 1974**

President Gerald Ford, August 27, 1974. Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Library.

"We cannot afford continued delays. We cannot afford prolonged vulnerability to foreign producers. We must act." \- **President Gerald Ford, 1975**

President Jimmy Carter, May 1, 1978. Courtesy of the Jimmy Carter Library.

"We are the generation that will win the war on the energy problem and in that process, rebuild the unity and confidence of America." - **President Jimmy Carter, 1979**

President Ronald Reagan, 1985. Courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.

"Energy independence is the best preparation America can make for the future."

\- **President Ronald Reagan, 1982**

President George H. W. Bush, January 1, 1989. Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense.

"The Congress should...enact measures to increase domestic energy production and energy conservation - in order to reduce dependence on foreign oil."

\- **President George H. W. Bush, 1990**

Portrait of President Bill Clinton, January 1, 1993. Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense.

"We have it in our power to act right here, right now. I propose $6 billion in tax cuts and research and developments to encourage innovation, renewable energy, fuel-efficient cars, and energy-efficient homes." - **President Bill Clinton, 1998**

Portrait of President George W. Bush, 2003. Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense.

"We have got to do something about our dependence on oil - for two reasons. (It) provides an economic and national security risk... and... makes it harder to be wise stewards of the environment." - **President George W. Bush, 2007**

"The time for action is now. This is a difficult period for millions of American families. Every extra dollar they have to spend because of high gas prices is one dollar less they can use to put food on the table or send a child to school..." - **President George W. Bush, 2008**

Portrait of President Barack Obama, January 19, 2009. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

"I think that in ten years, we can reduce our dependence so that we no longer have to import oil from the Middle East or Venezuela. I think that's about a realistic timeframe... That's why I've focused on putting resources into solar, wind, biodiesel, geothermal. These have been priorities of mine since I got to the Senate, and it is absolutely critical that we develop a high fuel efficient car that's built not in Japan and not in South Korea, but built here in the United States of America." - **President Barack Obama, 2008**

"That's why I've called for an investment of $15 billion a year over 10 years. Our goal should be, in 10 year's time, we are free of dependence on Middle Eastern oil. And we can do it. Now, when JFK said we're going to the Moon in 10 years, nobody was sure how to do it, but we understood that, if the American people make a decision to do something, it gets done. So that would be priority number one." - **President Barack Obama, 2008**

Former President George W. Bush has acknowledged the three critical dangers that are outlined in this letter: dependence on oil creates an economic and security risk, as well as a threat to our living environment. What is worse is that I feel our short-term memory has caused us to keep falling for the same promises every single time. There is a pattern of a wholesome, cookie-cutter-fashioned, timed-to-perfection, apple pie smile with the American flag perfectly framed and swaying in the background in order to neurologically and subconsciously gain our trust. I recognize that campaign managers are masters of what is known as Neuro-Linguistic Programming (or NLP), among other forms of psychological techniques used in the media. My frustration is that once a presidential term is over, very little, if anything is said about the unfulfilled promises of energy independence. The incredible weight and demands of the presidency and the multiple and uncontrollable factors involved in negotiating policies seem to defeat everyone's hope.

There is an incredible philosophy book called The Art of War (translated by Thomas Cleary) that I feel should be a prerequisite before accepting any leadership role in government or business. This ancient text has many virtues I feel can still be applied today. For example, the concept of anticipating and avoiding conflict before it happens is such a valuable lesson we all desperately need to grasp in government and our own personal lives.

According to an old story, a lord of ancient China once asked his physician, a member of a family of healers, which one of them was the most skilled in the art.

The physician, whose reputation was such that his name became synonymous with medical science in China, replied, "My eldest brother sees the spirit of sickness and removes it before it takes shape, so his name does not get out of the house."

"My elder brother cures sickness when it is still extremely minute, so his name does not get out of the neighborhood."

"As for me, I puncture veins, prescribe potions, and massage skin, so from time to time my name gets out and is heard among the lords."

Unfortunately, we are well beyond the preventative phase. We are past the early symptoms phase, and dangerously headed towards the crisis stage. Our energy crisis is very much like a terminal disease in which we are not winning the battle.

Having served in the Armed Forces, I know how partial our government is to using acronyms. In this time-honored tradition, I would like to suggest a new acronym. We need a generation of elected policy makers with the Fortitude, Intelligence, Gumption, Honesty, and Thoroughness (a.k.a. "F.I.G.H.T.") to take the appropriate action to make our nation energy-independent and efficient now -- preferably a cabinet that features representatives who once worked as a foundational part of our communities; i.e., teachers, librarians, policemen, firemen, physicians, professors, scientists, artists, small business owners, etc. - those that are still in touch with the American people.

The American Heritage Dictionary provides the following definitions:

• **Fortitude** : Strength of mind that allows one to endure pain or adversity with courage.

• **Intelligence** : (a) The capacity to acquire and apply knowledge. (b) The faculty of thought and reason. (c) Superior powers of mind.

• **Gumption** : An aggressive readiness along with energy to undertake taxing efforts.

• **Honesty** : Moral or ethical strength.

• **Thoroughness** : Attentiveness to detail. Painstakingly accurate or careful.

We can no longer afford empty speeches from political candidates who promise environmental solutions twenty to fifty years from now - when they are long gone and out of office. Scientists, environmentalists, and mathematicians have been warning us for decades about the consequences of our actions both now and in the future, for the sake of our children and grandchildren. Instead, we have given too much weight and influence to our economists and lobbyists with promises of untold riches.

I feel that most people fall into one of the following categories: those who do not know enough to recognize the necessary changes needed for our government; those who recognize what needs to be changed, but do not have enough power, knowledge, or courage to make it happen; and the select few who have the power, but are forced by the comfort of their public position and financial security to remain passive.

It is inconceivable that the energy crisis and oil embargo of the 1970s did not generate enough incentive to invest adequately and consistently in creating a self-sustainable infrastructure through alternative fuels and energy. Where were the voices of the brilliant minds that could have collectively rethought the concepts of fuel, energy, propulsion, and mass transportation in order to avoid repeating the danger of relying too heavily on foreign nations? For example, construction vehicles and garbage trucks potentially powered by methane derived from landfills; public transportation busses and inner city vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells and/or electric motors charged by alternative energy sources; back-up power generators fueled by algae biodiesel; and intelligent construction standards constantly updated to limit the amount energy a building consumes. One of the most exciting automotive inventions, which has been used in India (but not the United States), is the passenger vehicle propelled by compressed air tanks. (Not even Jay Leno owns one of these.) These are just some of the few small ways in which alternative energy and propulsion could begin on a small scale and grow into multi-billion dollar industries. This could generate (and keep) tremendous revenue as well as create jobs within the United States. Is it possible to concede that perhaps we would not have been fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq if these brilliant innovations were pursued four decades ago? Could we potentially avoid petroleum-based conflicts with Iran and Venezuela next if we tackle this problem now?

Within the past few years in the media, there seemed to be a focus on Iran and Venezuela as potentially aggressive and dangerous to the interests of the United States and our allies. Emphasis is being placed on Iran's desire to harness nuclear energy to build nuclear weapons, while Venezuela would openly threaten to cut off their oil supply to the United States. It is no secret that foreign relations between the United States and these nations are strained and in dire need of repair. However, I do not understand why we are not equally concerned about the other six Arab states that are also rushing to seek nuclear technology. For that matter, why are we not spending hundreds of billions of dollars invading and rebuilding North Korea, which detonated a nuclear bomb on May 25, 2009 and has repeatedly taunted the United States, South Korea, and Japan with its nuclear weapons program?

Media reports in 1998 stated that North Korea launched a ballistic missile that is believed to be capable of reaching as far as Hawaii, Alaska and even the western part of the continental United States. In 2007, Hawaii's population was listed at 1,283,388 people; 75% of whom live on the small island of Oahu. That is a lot of people occupying a space 44 miles (71km) long and 30 miles (48 km) across. This doesn't include the thousands of foreign tourists, soldiers, and political officials visiting our vacation paradise at any given point. I remember from living in Hawaii as a child that this is the reason why Oahu is referred to as "the gathering place." Approximately 2,740 Americans and 236 foreigners died in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001; one nuclear warhead in the heart of Hawaii could make September 11th look like a Quickie Mart mugging by comparison. Now compound that figure by the heartache, pain, and anger of each loved one and family member connected to each of these individuals. North Korea also threatened to turn South Korea into "debris" only weeks after former President George W. Bush removed North Korea from the terrorist list on October 11, 2008.

Perhaps this is just a strange coincidence, but the natural resources for Afghanistan and Iraq (the two countries which our military forces have occupied); Iran and Venezuela (two countries we may be militarily engaged with in the near future); and North Korea (a country that we seem to virtually ignore, or at least in the media), according to the CIA World Factbook, include:

**Afghanistan** : Petroleum, natural gas, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones.

**Iraq** : Petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur.

**Iran** : Petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur.

**Venezuela** : Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds.

**North Korea** : Coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower. (Apparently, this is not much to fight over. We have more than enough polluting coal in the United States to last us over 100 years.)

" _If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy"_

\- James Madison, Fourth U.S. President, 1809 \- 1817, and one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, 1751- 1836

The Legacy of Former President George W. Bush

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I watched an interview with former President George W. Bush and ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Marta Raddatz in December 2008 and was blown away by what I heard. She began to ask President Bush about what he thinks his legacy will be in reference to the current war in Iraq. There are two sections of the interview that I want to quote and reflect upon:

**President Bush** : "...One of the major theaters against Al Qaeda turns out to have been Iraq. This is where Al Qaeda said they were going to take their stand. This is where Al Qaeda was hoping to take..."

**Raddatz** : "But not until after the U.S. invaded."

**President Bush** : "Yeah. That's right. So what? The point is that Al Qaeda said they were going to take a stand. Well, first of all, the post-9/11 environment, Saddam Hussein posed a threat. And then upon removal, Al Qaeda decides to take a stand..."

Did our respected former Commander in Chief, who sold us the war on terror, admit on national television that he knowingly had our military invade Iraq BEFORE the terrorists (who claimed responsibility for 9/11) ever occupied the country? Let us continue...

**Raddatz** : "Let me just go back, because you brought this up. You said, 'Saddam

Hussein posed a threat in the post 9/11 world.'"

**President Bush** : "He did."

**Raddatz** : "They didn't find weapons of mass destruction."

**President Bush** : "That's true. They didn't. Everybody thought he had them."

**Raddatz** : "So, what threat?"

**President Bush** : "Well, Saddam Hussein was the sworn enemy of the United States. He had been enriched by oil revenues. He was a sponsor of terror. I have never claimed like some said that he - you know, oh, that he was directly involved with the attacks on 9/11, but he did support terrorists. And, uh, Saddam Hussein had the capability making weapons of mass destruction. I did not have the luxury of knowing he did not have them, neither did the rest of the world until after we had come and removed him...."

Let us re-cap the highlights of this interview. Based on his nationally televised statement, former President Bush stated that:

• Saddam Hussein was enriched by oil revenues;

• Saddam Hussein was a sponsor of terror, and

• Saddam Hussein had the "ability" to make weapons of mass destruction.

• Former President Bush also admitted that he (knowingly) had the United States military invade Iraq BEFORE Al Qaeda (the primary focus and selling point for the "war on terror") established a presence there.

Enriched by Oil Revenues:

According to the American Petroleum Institute (API), the oil and natural gas industry paid the United States $242 billion in taxes over a recent period of three years. That could go a long way towards establishing the energy independence we have heard so much about since the 1970s. Imagine how many commercial-grade wind turbines, solar panels, thermal energy power grids, innovative tidal energy units, algae biofuel farms sequestering CO2 from coal factories, etc., could be created from four year's worth of oil tax and revenue profits during a single presidential term.

U.S. petroleum-based products vary greatly from fuel and energy, to plastics and laundry detergents. (Please see chapter titled, "My Name is America, and I'm an Addict" for a more elaborate list.) Aside from the OPEC nations, Russia, and Venezuela, who is more "enriched by oil revenues" than the United States?

Sponsor of Terror:

During the Russian deployment/invasion into Afghanistan in 1979, the United States began giving hundreds of millions of dollars to the native Afghan mujahideen insurgents who were fighting the Soviets (in Operation Cyclone). Reports from the Washington Post and Atlantic Press suggest that this support included economic assistance, military planes and weapons, as well as training from the CIA. Some speculate our involvement in helping the Afghan mujahideen was out of fear that the Soviets might be trying to expand their southern border and control the rich oil reserves of the Middle East, among other suspicions. Several articles, books, and media interviews document how foreign Afghan Mujahideen also joined the effort against the U.S.S.R., including Osama Bin Laden and others that may have been involved in the U.S. terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Who would have thought that only a few decades later, we would be fighting the very people we trained and equipped and then, in an ironic twist, publicly denounce them as terrorists?

More recently, you may have heard of the former FBI translator and founder of the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC), Sibel Edmonds, who was allegedly fired in 2002 for reporting criminal activities committed by U.S. government officials and employees. She was charged with disclosing sensitive information, including firsthand claims that the United States was on "intimate terms" with the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Even Prince Bandar bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia who had met Osama bin Laden revealed the following information to CNN's Larry King in an interview on October 2001:

**Prince Bandar** : This is ironic. In the mid-'80s, if you remember, we and the United -- Saudi Arabia and the United States were supporting the Mujahideen to liberate Afghanistan from the Soviets. He (Osama bin Laden) came to thank me for my efforts to bring the Americans, our friends, to help us against the atheists, he said the communists. Isn't it ironic?

**KING** : How ironic. In other words, he came to thank you for helping bring America to help him.

**Prince Bandar** : Right.

**KING** : And now he may be responsible for bombing Americans.

**Prince Bandar** : Absolutely.

Whoever coined the old phrase, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," obviously never calculated the mathematical, social, and cultural probability that "the enemy of my enemy may also be MY enemy." Just like global warming, disease, or any other major human-derived conflict, the key element to winning the "war on terror" is recognizing and preventing the factors that launched it in the first place. Does this evidence suggest that the U.S. has been "sponsoring terror," at least to some degree?

The "Ability" to Make Weapons of Mass Destruction:

As possibly the greatest superpower in the world, the United States prides itself on having some of the greatest minds creating the most sophisticated and most powerful weapons of mass destruction imaginable (and unimaginable). Many of these are highly classified and will not be discussed here for obvious national security reasons. It is no secret that the United States (and other nations) has an unspecified supply of nuclear weapons. Hopefully no one will ever find justification to launch even a single rocket armed with a nuclear warhead. You only need to reflect on Hiroshima or Nagasaki, Japan in order to understand the horror of nuclear war.

Due to the nature of my former job in the U.S. Air Force, I know firsthand that the capacity of our nuclear weapons program is so substantial and advanced that it should never be considered as an option for military conflict resolution - to put it mildly. If I recall correctly, the United States is the only country in the world that has ever actually successfully used nuclear bombs during a war. Essentially, this makes the United States a greater risk during times of war and conflict than any other country in the world. If the "ability" to make weapons of mass destruction is a criminal offense that justifies legal and military intervention, then where does the U.S. stand on the spectrum of international laws of war?

Any resourceful military leader may have the "ability" to do a multitude of horrible things if they put their mind to it. However, until that information becomes a concrete and verifiable fact, how does that give anyone the legal grounds to launch a trillion-dollar war because you "thought" someone had weapons of mass destruction? The people of the United States have never received a straight answer to the question "What did attacking Saddam Hussein have to do with the appropriate action against those who admitted responsibility for the attacks on September 11, 2001?" Using only simple logic, this forces me to draw one of at least two conclusions:

1. The United States military and intelligence agencies are completely incompetent in their ability to accumulate accurate intelligence information.

If this is true, I believe the attack on and hanging of the leader of a sovereign nation based on unverified evidence is one of the most reckless and disgraceful examples of abuse of presidential powers in our generation. Changing the focus by claiming that Saddam tortured and killed his own people with chemical weapons lacks justification for the simple reason that there are several global dictators that currently starve and torture their own women and children, employ children as soldiers, kidnap and torture foreign reporters and peace workers, and participate in human and drug trafficking, etc. Yet, our response as a nation has been negligible by comparison to the war in Iraq. International trade sanctions and diplomatic pressures typically seem to be the first response in addition to other strategies discussed by the United Nations. (Whether or not this is effective is another matter.) Why is Saddam Hussein suddenly any more significant than any other dictator? There is, of course, another possible explanation:

2. The Bush Administration and U.S. intelligence agencies knew all along that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass distraction and used this false allegation as a cover for ulterior motives.

We could fill volumes of books expanding on conspiracy theories and the possible true intentions behind ousting Saddam Hussein, including the desire to establish a permanent U.S. military presence in Iraq. In the event of another oil crisis, doesn't it seem convenient that we would have an advantageous strategic location and diplomatic leverage for controlling the oil fields? However, since none of this can be concretely proven, I will refrain from guessing.

One thing I do know is that, based on my personal experience in the U.S. Armed Forces, we have some of the most sophisticated equipment, training methods, and inner-connected networks in the world to acquire what we need to establish confidence in the decisions made by our executive leaders. For example, commercial-grade satellite imagery technology (such as the GeoEye-1) is so advanced it is able to capture images at 16 inches (.41 meters) resolution in black and white and 5.5 feet (1.65 meters) in color. Under current government rules, companies are only allowed to offer the public half-meter (1.64 feet) images. I can only imagine what government-grade satellite imaging technology is capable of.

If absolute confidence was not established in reference to Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, then there should have never been a decision to invade Iraq based on what anyone thought was a threat. This is the ultimate example of poor and dangerous leadership. Based on my background in the intelligence field, it is difficult for me to believe that our military and intelligence agencies were incompetent in accurately informing our president.

During World War II, Japan conducted a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. No one thought that such a devastating attack was possible. The American people and the president demanded that we take action against those that were responsible; and so we did. We did not go into China and remove Mao Zedong from power when he was allegedly torturing and killing hundreds of thousands of his own people; including peasants, his own army, as well as their wives and children. Historians report that Mao had subjected his own people to as many as 120 horrific forms of torture and extreme brutality. During China's Great Leap Forward, Chairman Mao's own private physician claimed that, "Mao knew that people were dying by the millions. He did not care." Instead, the U.S. government directed its attention to the Japanese military that were directly responsible for the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Therefore, why would we respond to the greatest attack on U.S. soil since Pearl Harbor by attacking a country our President acknowledged on national television had nothing to do with those responsible for the terrorist attacks of 9/11?

It pains me to realize I will never receive an honest answer to this question, but it must be asked again and again. Why were we so obsessed with ousting and hanging Saddam Hussein, but not concerned about Osama bin Laden? This was surprisingly confirmed in a televised news conference by former President George W. Bush approximately six months after September 11, 2001. Even former President Bill Clinton maintained that the Bush Administration's office had no meetings on Osama bin Laden for nine months after Clinton left office. Former President Bush's exact words included, "I don't know where he is..." and, "I just don't spend that much time on him (Osama bin Laden) really, to be honest with you." I am quite certain that the thousands of families that lost a loved one in the Twin Towers on that terrifying day, and the millions of Americans who voted for our "War President," were still concerned about Osama bin Laden.

To add insult to injury, when former President Bush was asked why he rarely mentions Osama bin Laden in his speeches, his response was, "...the idea of focusing on one person is really - indicates to me people don't understand the scope of the mission."

Osama bin Laden evolved into something of a Loch Ness Monster on the evening news between 2001 and 2008. We have had unconfirmed audio recordings; Osama lookalikes popping up around the Middle East trying to keep fear alive; American soldiers searching empty caves; and an occasional arrest of Osama's alleged driver, body guard, and family poodle (just kidding about the poodle). One incredibly interesting piece of information that I feel deserves to be noted and reflected upon is the November 2, 2007 interview of former Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, on Al Jazeera English news. The former prime minister revealed that Omar Saeed Sheikh murdered Osama bin Laden before she was assassinated 56 days later. Further, there were no additional Osama bin Laden audio recordings authenticated since the Obama administration took office. Until President Obama ordered the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden in May of 2011, I wondered for awhile if Osama had already been dead or was he really that proficient in hiding from our government through his vast knowledge of caves? The latter explanation seemed incredulous at best.

On July 12, 2006, California Representative Lynn Woolsey told the U.S. House of Representatives that, "Over the holiday weekend, when few people were paying attention, it was reported that the CIA has closed down 'Alec Station', its special unit that was charged specifically with tracking down and capturing Bin Laden." So, am I to understand that by these actions, or should I say, lack of action, informing the American people about the man allegedly responsible for murdering thousands of Americans is of no significance? However, sacrificing the lives of thousands of brave soldiers and innocent civilians, while spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a man who was not allied with Osama bin Laden, nor connected to the events of September 11, 2001, is?

I would like to challenge former President Bush's assertion that the people "do not understand the scope of the mission" by contrasting the following two maps of Iraq:

Map of Iraqi Oil Fields, 2003. Courtesy of the University of Texas.

Map of U.S. Military Bases in Iraq, 2008. Courtesy of Friends Committee on National Legislation.

I believe we understood the "scope of the mission" very well.

35 Articles of Impeachment:

Further reflection and understanding may be found under the thirty-five Articles of Impeachment charged against former President George W. Bush, under H.RES.1258, introduced to the U.S. House on June 10-11, 2008. This information may be referenced in the Library of Congress. As it relates to the subject of my letter, I would like to specifically cite "Article XII -- Initiating a War Against Iraq for Control of That Nation's Natural Resources" in its entirety:

In his conduct while President of the United States, George W. Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty under article II, section 3 of the Constitution 'to take care that the laws be faithfully executed', has both personally and acting through his agents and subordinates, together with the Vice President, invaded and occupied a foreign nation for the purpose, among other purposes, of seizing control of that nation's oil.

The White House and its representatives in Iraq have, since the occupation of Baghdad began, attempted to gain control of Iraqi oil. This effort has included pressuring the new Iraqi Government to pass a hydrocarbon law. Within weeks of the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAid) awarded a $240 million contract to Bearing Point, a private U.S. company. A Bearing Point employee, based in the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, was hired to advise the Iraqi Ministry of Oil on drawing up the new hydrocarbon law. The draft law places executives of foreign oil companies on a council with the task of approving their own contracts with Iraq; it denies the Iraqi National Oil Company exclusive rights for the exploration, development, production, transportation, and marketing of Iraqi oil, and allows foreign companies to control Iraqi oil fields containing 80 percent of Iraqi oil for up to 35 years through contracts that can remain secret for up to 2 months. The draft law itself contains secret appendices.

President Bush provided unrelated reasons for the invasion of Iraq to the public and Congress, but those reasons have been established to have been categorically fraudulent, as evidenced by the herein mentioned Articles of Impeachment I, II, III, IV, VI, and VII.

Parallel to the development of plans for war against Iraq, the U.S. State Department's Future of Iraq project, begun as early as April 2002, involved meetings in Washington and London of 17 working groups, each composed of 10 to 20 Iraqi exiles and international experts selected by the State Department. The Oil and Energy working group met four times between December 2002 and April 2003. Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum, later the Iraqi Oil Minister, was a member of the group, which concluded that Iraq 'should be opened to international oil companies as quickly as possible after the war,' and that, 'the country should establish a conducive business environment to attract investment of oil and gas resources.' The same group recommended production-sharing agreements with foreign oil companies, the same approach found in the draft hydrocarbon law, and control over Iraq's oil resources remains a prime objective of the Bush Administration.

Prior to his election as Vice President, Dick Cheney, then-CEO of Halliburton, in a speech at the Institute of Petroleum in 1999 demonstrated a keen awareness of the sensitive economic and geopolitical role of Middle East oil resources saying: 'By 2010, we will need on the order of an additional 50 million barrels a day. So where is the oil going to come from? Governments and national oil companies are obviously controlling about 90 percent of the assets. Oil remains fundamentally a government business. While many regions of the world offer great oil opportunities, the Middle East, with two-thirds of the world's oil and lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies. Even though companies are anxious for greater access there, progress continues to be slow.'

The Vice President led the work of a secret energy task force, as described in article XXXII below, a task force that focused on, among other things, the acquisition of Iraqi oil through developing a controlling private corporate interest in said oil.

In all of these actions and decisions, President George W. Bush has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President and Commander in Chief, and subversive of constitutional government, to the prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States. Wherefore, President George W. Bush, by such conduct, is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting removal from office.

I believe this adequately summarizes the true "scope of the mission" in Iraq. I grieve for the families of our brave men and women were subjected to these hidden motivations, while thousands of our own people as well as innocent Iraqi women and children (non-combatants) have paid with their lives for a resource that can be, and should have been, replaced decades ago.

The Rice Farmer

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I acknowledge that I do not have a professional understanding of the stock market, including inflating the value of a stock based on its anticipated value. I do however understand the fundamental concept of supply and demand. As a result, I sought the professional insight of Dr. Fereidun Fesharaki; an expert in Hawaii who specializes in oil and gas markets. Dr. Fesharaki has served as an advisor for the United States, Middle Eastern governments, Latin America and in the Pacific basin. He explained to me the concept of the rice farmer; the following explanation is my own re-interpretation.

Let's say, for example, you are a rice farmer with x amount of land to produce your commodity. Business is great and profits are booming because virtually everyone enjoys eating rice. Rice is cheap to produce and it is perhaps the most common staple food in the world next to soy. However, there is now a major problem: the world's population is growing exponentially (6.8 billion and growing!) and you are not able to meet the demand. What do you do? You have no more land to farm. Even if you bought land in other countries, there's often no way to enforce the contract you agreed upon overseas because not all governments are fair and just. So, what do you do?

•Do you ask the government to impose a forced sterilization policy to reduce the world's population as in Peru?

•Do you hope and wait for an engineered sexually transmitted disease to control the world's population, thus, in turn, making billions of dollars for pharmaceutical companies that focus on treatment instead of prevention?

Obviously not. Besides, governments and large monopolistic corporations would never consider something so horrific and inhumane, right? That is obviously a ridiculous rumor from which urban legends and Hollywood movies are made. Naturally, you have to find a way to reduce the demand for rice. The way you do that is by increasing the selling price. You can double or even triple the price; whatever it takes to reduce the demand to a level you are able to handle and still manage to feed your own family at the same time. Using this analogy, notice the price of all regular grade gasoline in the United States from 1998 to 2008. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, regular gasoline in the United States on July 13, 1998 averaged $1.05 per gallon. By July 14, 2008 the average of regular gasoline reached a peak of $4.11 per gallon.

*Note: According to the International Database of the U.S. Census Bureau during this same period, the world population has grown from 5,932,090,951 people in 1998 to 6,681,112,529 people in 2008.

*The U.S. Energy Information Administration also illustrates how the total world petroleum consumption has grown from approximately 74 million barrels of oil/day (18.9 million barrels/day in the U.S. alone) in 1998 to 85.4 million barrels of oil/day (19.5 million barrels/day in the U.S. alone) forecasted in 2008.

* Worldwatch Institute, a globally-focused environmental research organization based in Washington, D.C., has observed that oil production has plateaued or declined in 33 of the 48 largest oil-producers, including 6 of OPEC's 11 members.

I leave you to your own conclusions.

" _How could I look my grandchildren in the eye and say I knew about this and I did nothing?"_

\- Sir David Attenborough, Naturalist & Veteran Broadcaster

Interview with Dr. Fesharaki

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The painful reality for all of us in the United States is that if we do not dramatically reduce our dependence on oil and tax ourselves like in the example of the rice farmer, the market is going to do it for us. I realize that suggesting a large fuel tax is considered political suicide. Prior to researching the auto industry, I openly admit that I abhorred the thought that such an unpopular concept could actually help our nation. However, I now believe this is a patriotic duty, as well as an absolute necessity to ensure our survival as part of a global community.

This concept is not new, nor is it the first time it has been publicly suggested as the only solution.

• Severin Borenstein, the director of the University of California Energy Institute, told FactCheck.org in 2004, the only way to bring about an immediate change is "an extremely large gas tax."

• Jerry Taylor, the Director of Natural Resource Studies at the Cato Institute, a public policy center devoted to limited government and free markets, said, "The only way to start to achieve [energy independence] would be to dramatically increase the cost of oil and significantly reduce Americans' consumption."

On July 7, 2008, I had a personal interview with Dr. Fereidun Fesharaki, a Senior Fellow and head of the Energy Project at the East West Center in Honolulu, HI. His work is recognized throughout the world in the field of pioneering oil/gas market analysis and studies in the Asia-Pacific/Middle East energy markets since the early 1980s. Born in Iran, he attended the OPEC Ministerial Conferences in the late 1970s in his capacity as energy advisor to the Prime Minister of Iran. He joined the East-West Center in 1979. He has been an advisor to major oil companies, independent companies, trading companies, state-owned companies, and governments in the Middle East, Pacific Basin and Latin America, as well as the U.S. government. I wanted to have an unfiltered and better understanding about OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) and their role in terms of affecting oil prices. It is important to focus on what we as Americans need to understand about the oil industry and explore what needs to happen in order to fix our dependence on foreign oil through experts who are personally and thoroughly involved in the industry:

**Q** : Can you comment on OPEC and their current mindset?

**A** : OPEC is...just a club. They, for the first time, realize that things are no longer in their hands, so they are quite happy about it.

**Q** : Why is that?

**A** : Partially because they don't get blamed anymore. They just don't have the capacity to produce. Supplies are simply going flat. Future growth and supplies are very limited and the demand is going up. So, the prices are going up and now people blame the Chinese (and) the Indians, because they use a lot. But, at the end of the day, there is a supply issue... we are running out of many things, not just oil - many of the commodities. Population is going up and a lot of people are getting to levels of where they can use more. It's not surprising. It would actually be surprising if it didn't happen.

So, if we are talking about iron, ore, or copper... everything is under pressure. Oil is just one of the commodities that is more [noticed] than the others - it's political. But all commodities are under pressure. We just used them all and we [shouldn't] be surprised that they should all go up. It should be surprising if it didn't.

**Q** : Is this the reason for the sudden rush to bring about more output? Is it really a matter of meeting demand? I understand that oil is traded in U.S. currency. Does that have an effect in terms of the value of the dollar: how much is actually produced (thus circulating more U.S. currency) verses how much it actually costs per barrel?

**A** : The U.S. dollar for the last quarter has fallen 25%... Whatever they get for 25% less...they're not so impressed by the prices being $140 (per gallon of oil) because for them, it's only $110. The production; the policies that are playing are not impacted because of the U.S. dollar...people will say, "will the price of oil influence currency?" That's nonsense... there's no other choice. But to the [American] consumer, [oil] is very high. The cost is not so high to most people in the world, where currencies have appreciated against the U.S. dollar. To the point of view from oil exporters these prices are not that high.

**Q** : From their point of view, it's not that high?

**A** : No. Because they lost 25% of their value.

**Q** : But to the average American, it seems pretty high to us... you hear these predictions that the price of oil is going up to $150 in no time and maybe within two years up to $200 per barrel...

**A** :...I think the average American is spoiled.

**Q** : They're spoiled?

**A** : Americans are spoiled. You know, the average European pays $9 per gallon, and then they complain. But the American pays $4.50 and they think the world is coming to an end.

**Q** : Nine dollars per gallon? That's just hard to imagine!

**A** : $9 dollars per gallon and this has been going on for a long time. The car is expensive. You pay taxes on the car based on weight, the size of the engine. Then, you go inside London; every time you go inside the city, you pay $16 dollars to control congestion. One day driving will cost you about $30 in different fees just passing through the downtown. So, the average American, who expects the car to be cheap, the gasoline should be cheap, and should drive wherever they want... it's not the rest of the world which has to mesh themselves to the average American, but the average American has no choice but to mesh themselves to the rest of the world.

**Q** : If you were to give advice to the average American or the American automaker, what is it that they have to change? What is it that they have to realize (about the oil industry)?

**A** : What they have to do is, eventually the U.S. will have to increase the price by taxes. I gave a convention at the U.S. Senate in a seminar...I said, "You have to either tax it yourself or [the market] will tax it for you. If you tax yourself, you give the money to yourself. Maybe you can do a healthcare program or something like that. Otherwise it [the revenue] will go to the oil exporters by the market forces." The prices will go up and there's no escape from it. There is no solution. There is the, "OK, we will do this so that the prices will come down" -- well, there is nothing. And so, in the end, if the prices will go high enough, then you will consume less. Remember: one out of every four barrels of oil in the world is consumed in America. America consumes more than all the 26 countries of the European community. So, there's nothing acceptable in saying that, "We want it cheaper and want to drive whatever we want." This has to change. So, I think at $6 - $7 per gallon, you will get a slash in...consumption in the U.S.

In Honolulu, the number of SUVs sort of outweighs the number of regular cars. Honolulu doesn't have any silly mountains that you have to go up in a SUV. You have to give this up. This habit has to be given up by force. If the U.S. had the right policy like the Europeans, where they were able to tax it by weight and, not only the gasoline, but the car. You know, here (in the U.S) the average home of four people has four cars. This is not how it is supposed to be. After one car, the rest of you have to go by bus. So, if you don't accept this [tax], then you have no right to complain.

**Q** : Why do Europeans seem to be more accepting [of this tax], or don't seem to be complaining as much?

**A** : You know, they have been paying this $9 per gallon for a long time. It's not new. The price of oil is much lower than this. They still pay $9 per gallon, because the rest is tax - 80% is tax. In the U.S., [the] average tax is 34 cents. In Europe, it's $7. This is the right policy.

**Q** : You made a comment earlier about Americans being spoiled. Would you say that that is Iran's general perception of the United States? Has it improved at all? Has it diminished [due to recent events]?

**A** : I think [people] are beginning to get the message, slowly. You know, the fact that SUV sales are [falling]...People now seem to prefer, you know, when they go to visit; they don't say, "Well, let me drive you to the airport." They say, "Take a taxi." You know, it's become...every time you fill your car [in the U.S.], you pay 70 bucks, where you pay $200 in Europe to fill your car.... In order to give the message to the Americans, the price must be at least $7 a gallon. You have to get to the European level of 9 [dollars per gallon]. They [Americans] need to get to 7 bucks.

**Q** : Why $7? Why that number?

**A** : Because of the large studies that have been done, showing that $7 a gallon can make a significant drop in the U.S. consumption. By a substantial drop, means: lose ¼ of the U.S. demand: you need about $7 a gallon.

**Q** : In order to make this happen...anything that has to do with taxes; just mentioning the word has a huge stigma attached to it. Not to mention that it can make or break a presidential campaign (for example). What do they [the government] need to do?

**A** : That's a very good question... [By raising taxes], people don't trust the government to get the money and [think politicians will] screw it up. That's why I have sympathy...but we need to look at the rest of the world. It's not that the rest of the world is stupid. They've done it. You [Americans] see yourself as the odd man out. In the media, you keep pointing out that you are the only odd country out - that you're the oddest of the world and essentially "the club of the rich" which is the International Energy Agency... Why is it that we have more consumption than all of Europe? And why is it that our prices are the lowest? That's telling me, something's wrong.

**Q** : Even if regulations need to be changed, it doesn't seem as though anyone has the "chutzpah" to basically say, "This needs to be regulated; this needs to be mandated."

**A** : But if you are a politician and you want to get re-elected, you wouldn't dare say that. This is the dilemma. I think that now, much like the global warming issue, that people have to come around. It's a real issue and it's a problem [and we have] to pay for it. People will come around if you explain it to them properly. There is no policy that you can do now that can bring cheap gasoline, because it's running out. And when the price of rice went up, it automatically doubled. It was quite a story. Immediately all the rice exporters had reduced exports, but the price had doubled - not increased, [but] reduced [exports]. Why? Because they all say, "Well gee, I'm going to run out of food for myself"..."Maybe I won't have enough for myself." So they reduce exports. [They say] "I'll keep more for myself because I have a rare commodity which may disappear."

[End of interview.]

I am painfully aware that this effort is not going to be an easy transition for anyone, nor do I belittle the sacrifices that the average person may have to make to protect the future of our energy and fuel economy. I do not wish to preach; however I believe that this requires a new form of patriotism from every citizen. Our present situation requires a combined effort that exceeds the call of the nation during World War II. Instead of drafting our young men into the military, this time we need every man and woman utilizing our incredible ability to share information and resources in order to conserve energy. It is not simply a matter of surviving on the oil we produce locally; our capacity to produce petroleum has been declining for the past several years. Rather, this is a matter of working together to change our infrastructure altogether, one person at a time. Considering our current national deficit, this is a problem too big and too expensive for our government to tackle alone.

A few years ago, an idea about how to accomplish such a transformation occurred to me as I watched commercials about replacing analog televisions with digital sets.

Taking a Lesson from the Digital TV Transition

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On February 17, 2009, the U.S. Congress mandated all full-power television stations in the United States to forgo analog and broadcast only in digital. As the target date approached, the deadline was extended to give consumers more time to adapt to the transition. The reason given to the public was that it will free up parts of the valuable broadcast spectrum for public safety communications (i.e., police, fire departments, and rescue squads), while other parts will be auctioned to companies that can offer more advanced wireless services (i.e., wireless broadband).

So, what did this congressional mandate do? It forced everyone in the country to purchase a digital television set which is equipped with an internal digital tuner. If you decided to keep your analog television set, you would need a digital-to-analog converter box if you wanted to continue to watch broadcast television programming. (The quality and pixilation from the converter boxes are poor and the available channel selections are extremely limited.) In order to help with this transition, the government offered a digital-to-analog converter coupon program. This provided every household in the United States up to two digital coupons worth $40 each, toward the purchase of eligible digital-to-analog converter boxes. This was the result of the combined effort of government agencies, industry, public interest groups, and other interested organizations working hard to make sure the deadline was met and that everyone was prepared for the termination of analog TV broadcasting.

Now let's apply the arguments against dramatically higher fuel efficiency and the creation of emission-free vehicles to the analog-to-digital switch:

ARGUMENT #1: Analog programming employs thousands of people. What will happen to them? They will all be forced out of work.

RESPONSE: Chances are, these same skilled professionals will be among the first to transition into digital programming and enhance their skills, even if it requires returning to school for a few courses. They already have a firm and established foundation in the industry, which makes them a valuable asset.

Computer programmers, for example, go through this all the time as programming languages are constantly being updated and require regular recertification courses to keep up with the latest trends. Could you imagine still using the same computer programming languages of 1980 - before the internet and the convenience of a computer mouse? Or, to use an analogy from the world of computer games, imagine the consumer response if the rest of the world had access to the amazing graphics in popular games such as "World of Warcraft" or "Gears of War" while everyone in the United States was still playing Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and the original Super Mario Brothers games in 2D.

There are several industries that are constantly updated and require ongoing education and information sharing. Imagine if your doctor and nurse did not constantly have to educate themselves in order to keep up with the latest trends in modern medicine. They might still be drilling holes in your skull in order to relieve pain and pressure as they did in ancient Rome.

ARGUMENT #2: It will be too expensive to create the infrastructure.

RESPONSE: Clearly, Congress felt freeing up the broadcast spectrum for public safety communications and companies offering more advanced wireless services justified the cost of completely changing the infrastructure. For Congress and various members of the TV industry, the transition from analog to digital television is an absolute necessity.

This is comparable to using copper wiring versus fiber optic cable for TV and internet services, hospitals, financial institutions, etc. Fiber optic cables are dramatically more efficient because they deliver more than 1,000 times more bandwidth and send information more than 100 times farther than copper - all without the need for amplification for over 80 kilometers. This can be achieved virtually without corrosion; without being susceptible to electrical interference, from lightning, for example, because fiber optics are glass based; and without posing a threat if it breaks because it transmits light instead of electricity. As with so many other examples, the growth of the industry justifies the cost.

Now, let's apply these same arguments to the concept of mandating a dramatic increase in fuel efficiency and the creation of emission-free vehicles:

ARGUMENT #1: The Big Three Auto Manufacturers employ thousands of people. What will happen to them if the government does not bail them out during a financial crisis?

RESPONSE: Like any other industry, U.S. auto workers could transition into the new auto industries that would be created, should the current Big Three auto manufacturers continue to not respond to the needs and desires of their consumers and the demands of the marketplace. Some of these companies include but are not limited to Tesla Motors, Aptera Motors, and Hybrid Technologies. These skilled workers have a foundation in the industry that makes them a valuable asset which could be trained for the new technological trends that will lead us into the future.

ARGUMENT #2: It will be too expensive to create the infrastructure.

RESPONSE: I do not know how critics and politicians backed by the oil and auto industries can say this with a straight face considering the trillions of tax dollars that have been spent overseas for the war on terror and the reconstruction of Iraq, and domestically in corporate bailouts.

There is an argument that if we allow the government to lift the ban on drilling off the shores of Florida and in Alaska's protected sites, this will solve or alleviate our national petroleum problem. However, if you were to take the U.S. Proven Oil Reserves (approximately 19,121,000,000 barrels ) and divide that number by the total proven world oil reserves (approximately 1,332,043,000,000 barrels ); you would notice that the United States had approximately 1.4% of the world's oil reserves during 2008. Meanwhile, if you take the estimated daily oil consumption of the United States (approximately 19,500,000 barrels/day ) and divide that by the total estimated oil consumption around the world (approximately 85,462,000 barrels/day ), you would see that the United States consumed approximately 22.8% of the world's oil production in 2008. It is mind-boggling to imagine how a single nation can consume nearly one in every four barrels of oil produced in the world. Looking at these statistics, it is easy to understand why renowned geologists have been trying to tell us that we can not drill our way out of this problem.

The only option that is too expensive is business as usual. If what the World Energy Council says is true, the costs of maintaining and expanding the North American gasoline economy over the next 30 years will total approximately $1.3 trillion. More than half of this amount will be spent in oil-producing nations overseas. That is $1.3 trillion that could be used in our own economy to secure the possibility of a self-sustainable future for our nation. There is no justifiable reason why we could not free ourselves from the slavery of foreign energy dependence. It is my opinion that: (1) taxing ourselves; (2) dramatically improving minimum CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) fuel standards; (3) exploring ways other industries can conserve energy consumption; and (4) changing our fuel/energy infrastructure are some of the necessary steps through which we may become completely self-sustainable, or as close to it as possible.

The World Energy Council also estimated that about $300 billion of that $1.3 trillion would be for oil refineries, pipelines, and tankers - facilities that could eventually be replaced by a hydrogen production and delivery system. The only question is where will the hydrogen come from? Will it be derived by reforming fossil fuels or by emission-free and renewable energy sources? Only one option will help prevent greenhouse gasses and eliminate the serious threat to national security through energy independence.

For the sake of preserving our economy, we must recognize that if we allow the market to raise oil prices for us (due to shortages, limited production capacity, and stock market fluctuations), then all that extra money will go straight to the Middle East and South America instead of back to our own economy where we desperately need it. If we tax ourselves, not only will we achieve dramatic reduction of our oil consumption and in turn greatly reduce the potential impact of an energy crisis, but we can use that extra revenue to change the infrastructure of our transportation and energy industries now, instead of in twenty or fifty years. At the same time, however, just like the analog-to-digital converter box for television sets, there are ways in which we can improve gas mileage immediately so that the increased tax on fuel is not as painful to the average consumer. One example of this may be the new diesel gasoline formulation created by Shell. This formula enabled John and Helen Taylor (from the United Kingdom and Australia) to travel approximately 52.6 miles per gallon in an unmodified Volkswagen Golf on January 17, 2006. In October 2008, the same couple broke their own record by using Shell's ultra low sulfur diesel. Their car was reported as being completely stock, and able to travel 853 miles per fill up while maintaining speeds within 5 mph of the speed limit. I wonder what type of fuel efficiency the same car might be able to achieve using bio-diesel made from algae?

Later in this book, I am anxious to show you documentation that reveals the technology that allowed vehicles to achieve over 200 miles per gallon back in the 1930s and 1970s. All this time, American taxpayers have been led to believe that the infrastructure costs to make the United States energy independent are too great, the costs to supply our schools adequately and to pay our teachers properly are too great, and the cost to provide affordable healthcare across the board is too great, etc. Yet, I wonder how is it possible that we are able to spend approximately $700 billion to rescue the banking institutions at a moment's notice, spend over $1 trillion in the Iraq-Afghanistan conflict, and several billions more for the auto industry? With all this untraceable taxpayer money benefiting the corporations and padding CEOs' retirements, I still see record unemployment rates and foreclosures everywhere. The homeless people I now see on the streets are no longer just the old and crippled. It tears my heart apart to see young people carrying handwritten cardboard signs that say, "Please! Anything will help!" I recently invited a young homeless person, named Karli, to have a coffee and something to eat at a local Dunkin Donuts shop. It was the middle of December and abnormally cold outside. She must have been in her early twenties and said that all she wants to do is to go back to school to study cosmetology. Without a job or an address, however, she doesn't see how that is possible.

Why are the common taxpayers, who did not recklessly gamble with their money, forced to pay for the mistakes of those who did? More importantly, how is it that, in order to borrow money from a bank, the average taxpayer is required to explain exactly what the money is going to be used for, while the government never required the banks to explain or confirm how the taxpayers' money is spent?

Increasing CAFÉ Fuel Efficiency Standards is Too Dangerous!

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There is one more argument that I would like to put to rest. There is a claim that increased CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards result in more deaths and injuries because it forces automakers to make vehicles dangerously lighter and smaller. There are three examples that I would like to introduce in order to eliminate this argument before it continues to create a misguided consumer panic:

1. **Tom Ogle's 1970 Ford Galaxie** is about as non-lightweight as they come. This 4,600 pound and 351 cubic inch engine vehicle drove from El Paso, Texas, to Deming, New Mexico, and back, on less than two gallons of gas. That is equal to about 200 miles per gallon, while maintaining speeds of 55-60 miles per hour. The inventor did not have any solar panels, use any space-age wind tunnel technology, or even input a high-tech, computer-guided fuel distribution mechanism. It was simply designed in the garage by a 24-year-old high school drop-out mechanic who felt up to the challenge.

2. **The Ford F-150 Hydraulic Hybrid** weighs about 4,800 pounds, which is approximately 60% more than the Toyota Prius. This typically gas-guzzling beast is now capable to achieve a 60 mpg city rating. It was scheduled to be released in August 2008. Actual release date? Only time will tell. At least UPS is ambitious enough to use this technology in their truck fleets.

3. **The Toyota 1/X Plug-In Concept** introduced at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show weighs only 926 pounds due to the use of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, which is lighter and stronger than traditional metals. At approximately 1/3 of the weight of the traditional Prius, Toyota claims that the 1/X Plug-In is able to achieve more than 600 miles on a small four-gallon tank of fuel. The tremendous benefits gained from this lightweight and strong material has made it useful in a variety of capacities, including the aerospace and sailboat industries. If carbon fiber reinforced plastic is versatile and strong enough to ensure safety in air travel, then it is reasonable to assume that it would be more than reliable enough for consumer vehicles.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Engineers are able to help most NASCAR drivers walk away from spectacular high-speed accidents at 200+ miles per hour using crumple systems and carbon fiber frames. The alleged increase in deaths due to higher fuel standards seem to stem from outsiders who do not understand modern car design and unethical journalism designed to instill fear in an unsuspecting public. What the public needs are solutions, not excuses.

If we want to improve safety, then all consumer vehicles should be made with lighter and stronger materials, such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic with safety features such as the crumple systems designed to protect passengers. The beauty of mass production is that it brings down the cost of virtually any manufactured product. A prime example of this are the countless products that were initially designed specifically for NASA and the military and eventually transitioned into mainstream markets, such as hydrogen technology, Hummer SUVs, computers, and the internet.

As we explore the concept of transitioning the auto industry, I am reminded of how the film/video industries periodically require everyone to switch to new video formats. I remember BETA tapes and video players that had fairly good quality. Then everything switched to VHS and VCR players. Finally, all VHS tapes slowly disappeared as DVDs and later Blue Ray DVDs dominated the industry. I suspect that the film, television, computer, and gaming industries understand a business concept that the auto industry simply does not. Just as the film industry can continue to make billions of dollars while changing formats which essentially force the consumer to buy new players, switching to alternative fuels and propulsion will encourage and help consumers embrace the necessity of evolving automobile technology. In addition, we will also have the added benefit of improving global climate, air and health quality, as well as our national security by not relying on foreign oil. What hard-working (and voting) American would not appreciate the fact that trillions of dollars may be kept here in our own country to improve our own desperate economy?

I dream of the day when an honest and powerful figure will step in to fire the heads of the three major American automakers for not competing and meeting the needs of their customers, while converting their companies into at least seven new corporations:

•Tesla Motors, Aptera Motors, ZAP (Zero Air Pollution), and ZENN Motor Company could head the fully electric vehicle market;

•Formula One racing engineer and inventor Guy Negre and Shiva Vencat of Zero Pollution Motors could head the air-powered auto division;

•Veggie Van cofounder Josh Tickell, in cooperation with Sapphire Energy, could expand the algae-powered hybrid vehicle market;

•The EPA and UPS could combine their efforts to lead the hydraulic hybrid market;

•McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, and Wendy's could partner with independent companies to create biofuels from used vegetable oil;

•Wayne Huizenga (Waste Management) and Erroll Davis (Alliance Energy Corporation) could head methane-powered vehicles; and finally,

•Dunkin Doughnuts, Starbucks, Denny's, IHOP, and McDonalds could partner with independent companies to create biofuels from used coffee grinds.

To ensure success, Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page could be acting advisors. Ah, but this is just a comical dream \- not real life.

" _Slavery can only be abolished by raising the character of the people who compose the nation; and that can be done only by showing them a higher one."_ \- Maria W. Chapman, American Abolitionist, Organizer of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society, 1806-1885

My Name is America, and I'm an Addict

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Since I am not a chemist, I never realized all the ways we manipulate, use, and therefore have become addicted to petroleum over the past one hundred years. Until I began writing this book and researching the auto and oil industries, I never gave a second thought to the possibility that there is much more involved than just fuel and energy.

The most common products from petroleum are in fact energy products, such as gasoline, heating oil, and diesel fuel. However, a significant portion of the oil we import is used in other common products. Below is an extensive, though not comprehensive, and astonishing list of products that contain petroleum-based elements such as waxes, binders, and propylene glycol. There is abundant wealth to be made for self-motivated individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit who can help replace the petroleum-based ingredients in the following products:

Ammonia, anesthetics, anti-freeze, antihistamines, antiseptics, artificial limbs, artificial turf, asphalt, aspirin, awnings, balloons, ballpoint pens, bandages, beach umbrellas, boats, bubble gum, cameras, candles, car battery cases, car sound insulation, carpeting, cassettes, caulking, clothesline, cold cream, combs, conditioner, cortisone, crayons, credit cards, curtains, deodorant, detergents, dice, dishwashing liquids, disposable diapers, dolls, dresses, drinking cups, dyes, electric blankets, electricians' tape, eyeglasses, false teeth, fan belts, faucet washers, fertilizers, fishing boots, fishing lures, fishing rods, floor wax, folding doors, food preservatives, garden hoses, glue, golf bags, golf balls, guitar strings, hair coloring, hair curlers, hand lotion, hearing aids, heart valves, house paint, ice buckets, ice chests, ice cube trays, ink, insect repellent, insecticides, isopropyl alcohol, kerosene, laundry detergent, life jackets, linoleum, lipstick, loudspeakers, LP records, lubricating oils, luggage, milk jugs, model cars, mops, motorcycle helmets, movie film, nail polish, oil filters, paint, paint brushes, paint rollers, pajamas, panty hose, parachutes, paraffin wax, pavement, perfume, permanent press clothes, petroleum jelly, pillows, plastic wood, plastics, plywood adhesives, purses, putty, refrigerator linings, roller-skate wheels, roofing, roofing shingles, rubber cement, rubbing alcohol, safety glass, salad bowls, shampoo, shaving cream, shoe polish, shoes, shopping bags, shower curtains, shower doors, skis, slacks, soap dishes, soft contact lenses, sports car bodies, sun glasses, sweaters, synthetic rubber, tar, telephones, tennis rackets, tents, tires, toilet seats, tool racks, toothbrushes, toothpaste, toys, transparent tape, trash bags, TV cabinets, umbrellas, upholstery, vaporizers, VCR tapes, vitamin capsules, wading pools, water pipes, wire insulation, and yarn. (Try saying that all in one breath.)

Clearly, someone has done an outstanding job in marketing and engineering petroleum! If only there were scholarships available to college students committed to finding and marketing petroleum replacement products. I believe that alone could create a few hundred thousand jobs in multiple fields by helping to create a world without petroleum.

As I mentioned before, I am not a chemist but, with just a minimal amount of online research and curiosity, I discovered that there are petroleum substitute claims for many products, including the following:

**Ammonia** \- Since the modern process of producing ammonia involves isolating hydrogen from methane, I believe it is reasonable to assume that we would be able to harness methane from non-petroleum sources, such as the fermentation of human and animal waste, wastewater sludge, and solid waste from landfills.

**Asphalt** \- "Bioasphalt" can be made from natural tree and gum resins, natural latex rubber and vegetable oils, palm oil waste, coconut waste, peanut oil waste, canola oil waste, molasses and sugar, potato starch, rice starch, wheat starch, lignin and cellulose, and dried sewerage effluent, among other sources.

**Bubble gum** \- Substitutes currently used include natural latexes (i.e., Couma macrocarpa, a tropical plant), loquat (fruit tree), Tunu (gum), synthetic rubbers, and traditional sources such as chicle, which comes from the latex of the sapodilla tree.

**Crayons** \- The petroleum-based paraffin used to make crayons can be replaced with synthetic paraffin, soybean oil, beeswax, or carnauba wax.

**Deodorant** \- There are a variety of natural deodorants available on the market that contain ingredients such as mineral salts, aloe vera, and other plant-based products free from petroleum-based ingredients, such as propylene glycol or petroleum jelly.

**Dishwashing liquids** \- Companies such as Pure Earth, AlmaWin, and Seventh Generation not only emphasize their use of plant-based ingredients versus petroleum-based counterparts, but their alternative dishwashing liquids are primarily non-toxic, hypo-allergenic, and biodegradable. Seventh Generation claims, "If every household in the U.S. replaced just one 25-ounce bottle of petroleum based dishwashing liquid with this plant-derived product, we could save 86,000 barrels of oil - enough to heat and cool 4,900 U.S. homes for a year."

**Eyeglasses** \- Eyeglass frames often use a petroleum-based wax wafer to make an impression on the bridge portion that can be replaced with other forms of wax or synthetic rubber.

**Pavement** \- Although I do not support the idea of stressing tree resources further, the petroleum-based binders in pavement can be replaced with tree resins to produce a compact pavement of high strength and resistance to fuel spills according to a report from the Environmental Protection Agency. There is currently a company based in Australia that has replaced petroleum-based bitumen with renewable and recycled waste raw materials, such as sugar, natural rubber (latex), tree resins, gum resins, lignin, cellulose and edible vegetable oils and materials such as molasses, waste, palm, coconut, peanut, canola, oils and potato and rice starches.

Surely there must be the potential for billions of dollars in contracts awaiting the person or company that could create non-petroleum-based pavement alone.

**Plastics** \- Often referred to as "Bioplastic" or "Organic Plastic," non petroleum-based plastics may be made from corn, sugar , soy , pea starch, fructose , or my personal favorite, algae - among other resources. (See patent# 5,352,709 - Algal Plastics)

*There are multiple sites dedicated to easy home solutions to help reduce petroleum and fossil fuel dependence; i.e., using reusable cloth bags for grocery shopping, using energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances, etc. The combined efforts of families across the nation are absolutely necessary to help reduce petroleum consumption through grassroots efforts.

" _It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."_

\- The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President, 1809-1865

Whose Interests Are Being Served?

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Although I am not a politician, I understand that it takes a team with multiple aptitudes and strategies, millions of dollars in party contributions, and positive neuro-linguistic programming techniques to help a candidate gain public trust and support. I also know that there are ugly and dirty media tricks the opposition may use to attempt to publicly destroy a candidate's credibility, including finding and/or twisting information from his or her past that may instill public doubt. Personally, I think it makes a person seem more human to admit that they do not have a pristine past. However, I do care about how disproportionate political contributions from special interest groups may influence the decisions of the candidate of my choice.

There are a few organizations that report political campaign contributions. One website, www.OpenSecrets.org, reported that in 2008

• Auto manufacturers contributed $1,364,968 (52%) to democrats and $1,284,777 (48%) to republicans;

• The automotive industry contributed $5,169,921 (28%) to democrats and $13,541,951 (72%) to republicans; and

• The oil and gas industry contributed a whopping $8,113,550 (23%) to democrats and $27,432,642 (77%) to republicans.

*NOTE: The OpenSecrets.org website also mentions that these numbers are based on the contributions from PACs, soft money donors, and individuals giving $200 or more.

I used to believe that these donations were gestures of altruistic support - simply individual (or group) efforts to support candidates. However, nothing of that magnitude is ever truly given for free. How can we believe that the largest institutions, which often have some of the most questionable business practices, do not expect something equally substantial in return? Whether these corporations expect leniency for environmental infractions, protection against proposed bills that may hinder their monopolistic business practices, or lack of transparency regarding how taxpayer bailout money is spent, it still appears to be a conflict of interest.

We are led to believe that every vote counts and that we have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Although I understand the need for substantial contributions, it is impossible to ignore that these contributions are greatly disproportionate to the average citizen. How can we establish public confidence in elected officials to take everyone's voice equally into account (blue collar and white collar alike) before making the best overall decision possible? Perhaps every elected official could have blogs on Facebook and Twitter, detailing daily events and decisions they have made, and/or have Youtube video profiles that answer commonly asked questions from their viewers. I wish I could contribute a better solution. I believe the people want to feel that their representatives are tangible, approachable, and most of all, human.

Fun Automotive Facts

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One might think that with all of our technological advances over the past several years—including our ability to send land rovers to Mars, the capacity of personal computers and gaming systems to be updated so quickly that they make previous versions virtually obsolete the moment they are released to the market, and the ability of our military to use unmanned aircraft to monitor other countries—we might be able to handle the challenge of dramatically improving gas mileage. As inventive as we are as a nation, could we find an economical and environmentally favorable solution for this challenge as well?

Consider this: The average gas mileage for cars sold in the United States in 1980 was 23.1 miles per gallon according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Now grip the end of your seat cushion as you digest this: the average gas mileage for cars sold in the United States during 2004 was... 24.7 miles per gallon! That is a less than 7% improvement in twenty-four years. If this were a Donald Trump reality show, someone would definitely be fired!

What does this suggest? Either we are among the most technologically and scientifically pathetic country in the world, or there are powerful groups of lobbyists and business people bent on enslaving the American people. Considering the deep pockets and influence of the automotive lobby, the public already knows the answer.

I think of a few amazing achievements every time I hear a fellow American criticize another person for not buying an American-made vehicle. I feel that the Big Three American automakers have proven that they have no interest in truly competing with foreign imports or taking care of the interests and needs of the everyday person who helped them become the powerhouses they are today. The following information comes from the Guinness Book of World Records:

• **Most Fuel-Efficient Car (for a combustion engine)** \- In the Shell Eco Marathon event on June 23, 2001, the Microjoule team from Lycée La Joliverie (France) recorded a fuel consumption of 10,227 miles per gallon. According to the Shell Eco-Marathon Youth Challenge UK website, "That's the same as driving from Britain to Australia on one gallon of petrol." Imagine what that could do for our energy and transportation needs. Most notably, this phenomenon was achieved by a high school team in St. Sebastian-sur-Loire, France, who specialize in internal combustion engines. They beat their own record again in 2003 by almost an additional 500 mpg, achieving approximately 10,705 mpg.

Surely, if high school kids in France can be creative and innovative enough to make a car that can achieve five digits on a single gallon of gasoline it is possible that our brilliant engineers from the best universities in the world, working for three of the largest auto-makers in the world, might be able to create a reliable fleet of vehicles that achieve at least 1-2% of that (107-214 miles per gallon).

Glamorous auto commercials that boast "fuel efficiency" of about 30 miles per gallon infuriate me. It is intolerably insulting that the auto industry is counting on the ignorance of the public as we are enslaved to the limitations and dangers of petroleum as our main fuel resource. How can they still have the audacity to expect customer loyalty and government bailouts?

• **Lowest Fuel Consumption** \- After a road test consisting of 22 days, 9,419 miles, and less than 12 tanks of fuel, John and Helen Taylor broke their own world record for the lowest fuel consumption while traveling across the continental United States. Beginning their journey on September 3, 2008, the couple was able to achieve 58.82 mpg in a standard 2009 Jetta TDI clean diesel vehicle, combining Shell's Low Sulfur Diesel and "FuelStretch" fuel-saving driving tips. The previous record held by the Taylors was approximately 51.8 miles per gallon in an unmodified Volkswagen Golf FSI, fueled by what was then called a "New Shell Gasoline Formulation."

• **Greatest Distance Driven in One Hour by an Electric** **Vehicle** \- On October 2, 1994, Oscar De Vita (Italy) drove the Bertone ZER (Zero Emission Record) electric car prototype 124.2 miles (199.8 km) in one hour at the Nardo Circuit in Italy. Apparently, the same vehicle was also the first electric vehicle to break the 186.4 mph (300 km/hr) barrier with a top speed of 188.9 mph (304 km/h).

• **Fastest Electric Car** \- On October 22, 1999, the White Lightning Streamliner achieved 245.5 miles per hour (395.8 km/h). It was driven by Patrick Rummerfield (USA) at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. According to its makers, the vehicle is propelled by two 200 hp alternating current motors and can reach 100 mph (161 km/h) in 8 seconds and has a theoretical top speed of over 300 mph (482.8km/h).

" _It's not something we can adapt to... we can't let it go another ten years like this."_

\- Jim Hansen, NASA Climate Scientist

Dangers of the Modern Vehicle

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Whether we believe that humans are caretakers of the earth and that all creatures have an inherent right to life, or that humans won the battle for survival of the fittest and have the inherent right to dominate the earth, hopefully we can all agree that we have an obligation not to destroy our planet. The expansion of the human race should not result in the extinction of thousands of other species. The consequences of removing a single species from an incredibly complex and inter-dependent ecosystem often carry destructive domino effects for the planet, including humans. Just consider all the medicines, food supplies, and natural resources that depend on certain species and rainforests, weather patterns, etc.

With over 806,000,000 cars and light trucks on the road worldwide in 2007, burning approximately 260,000,000,000 gallons of fuel annually (and rising), there are obvious significant impacts of the modern vehicle that need to be identified and addressed. These factors not only concern the challenge of achieving energy independence or protecting national security, but also involve the state of the natural world we will leave behind for future generations to inherit. These risk factors include:

1. **Dangers to Human Health** \- A study conducted by two California State University economics professors in 2008 suggests that air pollution costs the California economy $28 billion annually. Professor Victor Brajer and Fred Lurmann, manager of exposure assessment studies at Sonoma Technology Inc., claim that premature death and respiratory symptoms are among the variety of serious health threats experienced due to air pollution exposure. These estimates are calculated as the overall effect on the economy.

It is easy to be oblivious to the compounded costs and effects on the family, government, and overall economy from a substance that contributes to respiratory problems, cancer, and premature death. A typical single family story might begin something like this:

An ambitious single parent finds a good paying job in the big city, so she moves her entire family to a new apartment closer to work. Her child is not used to the level of smog and air pollution in the city and eventually develops respiratory problems. Like a normal, caring, and responsible parent, the mother takes the child to the hospital. Hopefully this does not involve an ambulance because that can instantly cost the patient over $1,000.

Now, either the parent's insurance, Medicare (the government), and/or the patient is charged anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars for the 15 to 20 minutes of the doctor's time. If the child has to stay overnight to be tested and monitored, the patient could easily be charged anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000. (This recently happened to my mother; less than 48 hours in the hospital cost her more money than she earns in a year and a half.) In order to let the child have time to recover from his sickness, the mother goes out to spend money on medicine, wholesome food, and a few Disney movies to keep her child comforted and entertained. Since the child is staying home from school, the single parent may need to stay home from work because of the high expense to hire a trustworthy baby sitter or a reputable childcare service. Now, the company that the parent works for is losing money because they have an employee not being productive for the company. The parent is losing money two-fold because she is not earning money while away from work and she is spending money for food, medicine, entertainment, and hospital visits. That one hospital visit, although relatively minor, may cost the parent, the insurance company, the government, and the employer possibly more money than the average American makes in a single year.

Now, imagine what the exponential cost of pollution-induced cancer and pre-mature death in infants may cost an entire city, state, and country.

American Cancer Society Study:

A report from the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that air pollution, mainly from vehicles, industry, and power plants, raises the chances of lung cancer and heart disease in people exposed to it long term.

The study was conducted by the American Cancer Society, monitoring the health of 500,000 people in over 100 U.S. cities from 1982 to 1998. It found that there was no level of air pollution that was safe, and that pollution drove up the risk of dying from lung cancer the most, followed by risk of death from heart disease, and then by risk of dying from all causes.

"The risk comes when gases from auto exhaust and smokestacks combine with oxygen in the air to form very small particles that are breathed in," said the study's co-author, C. Arden Pope III, PhD, at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

The Cancer Prevention Study II by the American Cancer Society concluded that each 10-microg/m(3) elevation in fine particulate air pollution was associated with approximately a 4%, 6%, and 8% increased risk of all-cause, cardiopulmonary, and lung cancer mortality, respectively.

World Health Organization Report:

The World Health Organization reports that 3 million people now die each year from the effects of air pollution. This is three times the 1 million people who die each year in automobile accidents. Although our faithful law enforcement officials go to great lengths to prevent DUIs, dangerous speeding, and catching those that drive with suspended licenses, very little is being done, by comparison, to address the deaths that are caused by simply driving vehicles. The report suggests that air pollutants come primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels, principally coal-fired power plants and gasoline-powered automobiles.

Environmental Protection Agency: Particle Pollution and Your Health:

I almost regret researching the effects caused by air pollution derived primarily from fuel combustion and the burning of fossil fuels. Realizing the unavoidable effects of aging and a slower metabolism, I maintain a vegan (pure vegetarian) lifestyle and used to jog outdoors for about 2 miles each day. This is followed by a variety of callisthenic exercises, five days per week.

What I discovered on the Environmental Protection Agency's website is that outdoor exercise and physical activity apparently cause people to breathe faster and more deeply and to take more particle pollution into their lungs. According to their warning, long-term exposures, such as those experienced by people living for many years in areas with high particle levels, have been associated with problems such as reduced lung function and the development of chronic bronchitis and even premature death.

If this problem allegedly costs California alone $28 billion due to lost wages, medical/Medicare costs, and days missed from school, what does burning fossil fuels potentially cost the entire United States or the world? I guarantee it is much greater than the political campaign contributions donated by the auto manufacturers, gas and oil industries combined.

2. **Contribution to Drought** \- There are significant connections to drought due to acid rain and trapped heat from burning fossil fuels and exhaust emitted from automobiles. Leading experts suggest that the transportation industry provides approximately 33% of the world's CO2 emissions. As the sun radiates its energy to the earth, the increased amounts of CO2 help trap in more of the sun's heat. This has various effects throughout the world. Whereas some areas might have record amounts of rain and floods, other areas, such as the American Midwest, may experience significant amounts of drought to the point that they are not able to produce enough feed to raise and maintain cattle.

Among a multitude of other traumatic global effects, this also causes the destruction of forests and increases desertification. A great example of this was televised as the Chinese government raced to rapidly plant as many trees as possible in order to slow the desertification process that was causing dust storms in Beijing during the preparations for the 2008 Olympics.

Rice - The Staple of the World:

A very informative documentary from PBS on global warming suggests that a 1% increase in the Earth's temperature could cause a 10% loss of the world's rice production. This is the main staple food for a significant portion of the planet! According to the documentary, rice provides "a staggering 30% of the world's food supply." How much more significant will this impact be when the world's population reaches 9.1 billion by 2050, as projected by the United Nations in 2005? Here we are in the United States, complaining that food prices are going up, whereas in many parts of the world, it is very plausible to see that human-accelerated greenhouse gasses are causing starvation throughout the planet.

I would like to suggest a new proverbial saying: "If forests are destroyed by the impact of our carbon footprint and no one sees it on television, did it really happen?"

3. **Destruction of Coral Reefs and Marine Life** \- Here in Florida, our local government goes to great lengths to protect what is left of our unique coral reefs, a rich and ancient marine sanctuary unlike any other place in the world. According to the Nature Conservatory environmental group, coral reefs produce $375 billion a year in economic value worldwide.

As I suggested before, there are great potential consequences when even a single species is removed from a complex and interconnected life cycle. Scientists tell us that over a period of several thousand years or more, corals and other sea life have adapted to gradual and natural changes in the environment. However, consider the dramatic rate in which the major industrial nations of the world have been pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in order to meet our insatiable demand for energy during the past one hundred years. Environmental scientists have documented how the mixture of these enhanced concentrations of carbon dioxide with ocean water creates a chemical reaction known as carbonic acid. This makes the ocean more acidic as it becomes more alkaline.

What does this mean for all of us? Our world's coral reefs are an abundant resource of medicines, essential nutrients, supplements, staple foods, and a breeding ground for a vast number of sea creatures. Here is the domino effect I mentioned previously: as ocean currents circulate higher concentrations of carbonic acid, trillions of tiny organisms called coral polyps that create the coral reefs may be destroyed. "These (chemical) changes come at a time when reefs are already stressed by climate change, over fishing, and other types of pollution," says chemical oceanographer Ken Caldeira, "so unless we take action soon there is a very real possibility that coral reefs — and everything that depends on them—will not survive this century." Now multiply this effect as we lean towards cheaper and/or more polluting sources of energy and fuel such as coal, shale, and tar sands due to the declining production of petroleum. Much of this can be limited if broad-scale individual and corporate efforts, proper funding, and multinational government legislation combine their focus to create zero-emission energy infrastructures.

4. **Hurricanes, Cyclones, and Typhoons, Oh My!** \- Speaking of oceans, I wonder if you have ever had the unique and humbling experience of witnessing the amazing power of a powerful category 5 hurricane up close and in person as we do in Florida.

After living here for several years, I've seen thousands of windows blown out from tall office buildings, SUV-sized fishing boats relocated several yards in-land, fleets of vehicles damaged or destroyed, and entire blocks of streets closed down from all the electrically charged power lines and deadly debris blowing around at over 100 miles per hour. I have even seen Homestead Air Force Base close down as a result of the awesome force and damage caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. According to military reports, this particular hurricane rendered 97% of installation facilities inoperable.

According to Science Daily, sea surface temperatures have to be at least 82° F (28° C) for favorable conditions to form a tropical cyclone. What is interesting to note is that one might think it is the position of the sun that causes the surface water to heat to the optimal temperature for these natural disasters. However, the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) informs us that it is actually the warm and moist air in the atmosphere that fuels this destructive engine. The warmer the sea surface temperature, the longer the hurricane season. As the heat's area spreads in coverage, so does the potential range and intensity of hurricanes. In 1988, the American Meteorological Society and the Board of Trustees of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research issued a policy statement, suggesting that CO2-induced global warming over the next 50 years will likely lead to "a higher frequency and intensity of hurricanes." Admittedly, they also acknowledge that the opposite may be true. However, I believe that it is better to err on the safe side when anticipating danger or potential death.

If the atmospheric air and water were to become warm enough, could a major series of hurricanes hit as far north as Wall Street? According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, global warming does not create hurricanes, but it does make them stronger and more dangerous. Considering the potential devastation of a category 5 hurricane, is it possible that the most powerful financial district might shut down just long enough to finally and truly get the world's attention? Taking a look back in history, I have found that this event has happened before on more than one occasion. The Great Hurricane of 1938 was the first hurricane to hit New England since 1869. This powerful category 3 storm reportedly destroyed 57,000 homes, killed over 500 people, and caused approximately $4.5 billion in damage in today's dollars, according to The Boston Globe.

New England hurricane. Chicken house between Worcester and Amherst, Massachusetts, August 1938. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Perhaps we all can agree that it should never get that far before serious global action takes place. Unfortunately, living in the hurricane state, I know that we have such short-term memories and detached attitudes that state, "Unless it directly affects me, my family, or my money, then I am not interested!" Well, you do not have to look far on the news, in newspapers, science journals, National Geographic, all over the internet, and in documentary feature films, to know that it is not only effecting us, but it is hurting us right now, right here, and in a huge way. We're well beyond the preventative phase of environmental stewardship. Unlike your typical infomercial, there is nothing that is going to be a quick and easy fix for $19.95.

5. **Inevitable Global Economic Crash?** \- When we base multi-billion dollar industries and economies on a finite resource of fuel and energy, what will happen to the 800,000,000+ cars around the world once petroleum runs out? Will we experience the largest junkyard as well as the largest global economic crash in human history? Petroleum substitutes, such as oil shale, liquid coal, and tar sands are not only too expensive to create and sustain their infrastructure, but experts report that they require tremendous amounts of energy to yield the oil. Of course, I expect that this would probably be passed on to consumers in the form of dramatically increased fuel prices or in the form of heavy subsidies and tax breaks.

Since resources and ideal locations of oil alternatives are limited, could this possibly create strained foreign relations elsewhere? Could the next world war ultimately stem from limited energy resources? How can we possibly ignore the fact that these alternative oil resources are significantly more hazardous to our health and environment? This does not even begin to address the problems associated with the vast expense and physical space required to dispose waste generated by oil shale, liquid coal, and tar sands.

A perfect example of this tragedy begins with oil shale. Geologist Kenneth Deffeyes informs us that it takes one ton of good oil shale to generate one barrel of oil. Aside from being high in sulfur and providing less than premium crude oil, we have also learned that when oil shale is heated to produce oil, the left-over shale expands about 20% larger than its original size. In order to replace the current United States petroleum demand, it is believed that there are no canyons grand enough to store the excess left-over shale once the oil is extracted. This is just one of multiple dead ends with oil shale. Alternatively, the operational costs, amount of energy required, and various environmental hazards associated with extracting and burning fuel from tar sands and liquid coal present new, chaotic anomalies to contend with.

6. **Petroleum's Function** \- Is it possible that petroleum serves a necessary function in the earth, much the same way blood and nutrients serve the body or a single species serves to balance a complex food chain? As I contemplate this idea, I admit I only have questions and no answers. For example, does petroleum naturally serve a function similar to the lubrication of an enormous clock or a complex, geological machine? Does petroleum affect the composition of the earth's soil and its nutrients, considering that it is composed mostly of organic matter? What may happen to our world and our living conditions once this resource is completely exhausted? As we witnessed the incredible destruction from the 7.0 earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010 and the apparent rise in frequency of earthquakes around the world during the past 5 to 10 years, I wonder if petroleum has any affect on the shifting of tectonic plates. Without petroleum's natural lubricating ability, is it possible that earthquakes could become more destructive? Have these consequences ever been taken into consideration in the scientific and political communities as we head towards completely depleting this non-renewable fuel and energy resource? If so, have they been completely ignored for the sake of economic interests?

7. **Breaking the Law?** \- Since the human health and environmental impacts of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse emissions from vehicles have been well documented, it would be reasonable to conclude that the auto industry is fully aware of the harmful effects their product contributes to the public. Is it possible that the auto industry is responsible for design defects that cause adverse health effects, strict liability, product liability, and the deprivation of health hazards information? Depriving or failing to warn the public of health hazards information related to the millions of tons of harmful emissions from automobiles qualifies as "an unreasonable interference with a public right, or an action that interferes with or causes harm to life and health"—a legitimate argument used in a class action lawsuit against the tobacco industry and the harmful effects of smoking cigarettes. I don't recall seeing a Surgeon General's warning on a car stating, "Driving or being anywhere near this vehicle may contribute to lung disease, asthma, bronchitis, cancer, heart disease, and premature death in infants." Maybe it was hidden in my glove compartment, but I doubt it.

As a result, I imagine that this also means that the auto industry may be on shaky ground to claim "Violenti fit injuria," or voluntary assumption of risk, which suggests that the people have willingly placed themselves in a position where harm may result. Even if I took a bicycle to work, to the grocery store, and to pick up my children from school every day, I cannot think of a single place outdoors within a fifty mile radius of my home where I would not be potentially affected by the pollution emitted from the auto industry. I cannot even begin to fathom how much money this single product has cost world governments in hospital admissions, time lost at work, days missed from school, new cases of heart disease, lung disease, asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory symptoms combined. This is the epitome of the term I have coined as our "trillion dollar tar baby." Would a series of class action lawsuits finally motivate the auto industry to dramatically cut emissions immediately? Personally, I could not care less about the money. I simply expect more environmentally friendly, affordable, aesthetically pleasing (if possible), yet sufficiently powerful transportation options now. We know the technology has been built, showcased, and shown to us at motor shows around the planet for years. It just always seems to be purposely beyond our reach.

" _It is often easier to become outraged by injustice half a world away than by oppression and discrimination half a block from home."_

\- Carl T. Rowan, American Journalist, 1925 - 2000

Reducing Foreign Oil Dependence: 80 - 10,000+ Miles Per Gallon

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I recently listened to an interview of a scientist from the Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on NPR radio. Unfortunately, I did not catch his name, but if what he said is true, then the damage from global warming will continue for centuries even if every country within the United Nations suddenly agreed to cut their emissions in half by tomorrow morning. This is by no means an excuse for a lack of ambitious action.

I would like to introduce the following inventors with their patented inventions due to a personal belief that most of the public may not be aware of these remarkable and unexploited innovations that may have been suppressed. I believe that most nations would like (and need) to free themselves from the energy and fuel monopolies that threaten everyone's national security and quality of life. If any nation is to remain free and prosperous, creative invention must be encouraged by any and all who have the wherewithal to achieve innovation for the betterment of our global community. Most importantly, my intention is to bring this subject to light in order to motivate improved fuel efficiency standards in real time and to develop a foundation for environmentally responsible and sustainable fuels.

My hope is that you will agree that bold and swift measures must be taken to dramatically reduce and replace our dependency on petroleum. My fear and concern is the acknowledgment of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) in a 2007 report to Congress that, in the event of peak and declining world oil production, "there is no coordinated federal strategy for reducing uncertainty about the peak's timing or mitigating its consequences." If there are no strategies in place to prepare for a peak or decline in oil production, how can we prepare for another potential oil crisis imposed by foreign oil exporters? Imagine if Venezuela's multi-billion dollar relationship with China, Russia, and other nations allows them the capacity to follow through with their repeated threat to cut off oil production to the United States altogether. Venezuela is currently the third largest resource for petroleum imports to the United States. Could we sustain such a blow?

Now, compound this looming threat with Iran's efforts in 2009 to persuade Saudi Arabia to initiate an oil embargo against the United States. (Saudi Arabia is currently the forth largest source of petroleum imports to the U.S. and was the world's largest oil exporter in 2009.) Trade sanctions against Iran are not going to have much effect for the simple reason that China and other nations are too heavily reliant on Iran's oil, especially if much of the world's oil production is in decline. Whether the argument is over Iran's development of nuclear weapons or its enduring conflicts with Israel - as the world's forth largest oil exporter, Iran commands a significant amount of political leverage, and they know it.

What Can Be Patented:

Before viewing the following inventions, I think it is essential to note the strict conditions under which the United States Patent and Trademark Office will grant a patent. There are a number of critics who claim that the following is impossible because they were not able to duplicate the results, or it breaks certain laws of thermodynamics, etc. However, patent law specifies that the subject matter must be "useful": "The term 'useful' in this connection refers to the condition that the subject matter has a useful purpose and also includes operativeness, that is, a machine which will not operate to perform the intended purpose would not be called useful, and therefore would not be granted a patent."

Simply put, if I make up a series of drawings that claim my invention will allow my vehicle to fly to the moon and back using the speed of light, but cannot prove its plausibility, the patent office will not grant me a patent. However, if I can prove that my invention does what I claim, but another colleague is not able to duplicate my results independently, their incompetence does not necessarily disqualify my claims.

Ours is the most wasteful nation on Earth. We waste more energy than we import. With about the same standard of living, we use twice as much energy per person as do other countries like Germany, Japan, and Sweden.

\- Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States

Charles N. Pogue

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Following the devastating impact of the Great Depression of the 1920s and 1930s, people were looking for a major economic recovery and ways to earn and save money. Coincidentally, this is not much different than the popular consensus of today. In 1936, a talented Canadian inventor named Charles Nelson Pogue forever changed the internal combustion engine and the concept of fuel economy. Unsurprisingly, once the public learned that an auto engineer from Winnipeg, Canada successfully achieved 216 miles to the gallon in Toronto, an excited buzz rapidly spread among automotive circles. A number of prominent figures confirmed the legitimacy of his incredible fuel efficiency claims, including Thomas George Breen (1877-1957), who was the President of Breen Motor Company, one of the largest automotive dealerships in Winnipeg, Canada; and millionaire John E. Hammell, who was "famed in Canadian mining circles for his pioneering efforts and financial daring." Mr. Hammell was quoted by the Winnipeg Free Press as saying, "I ran it repeatedly with engineers and experts. Pogue was always present. It ran 200 miles on a gallon of gasoline, but how it did that or why, remains a mystery." This revelation allegedly caused enough panic among oil investors that it shocked prices on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Authors have been trying to debunk this story for several years, claiming that this invention never worked and that Pogue himself denied the claims about his own carburetor. However, there are several factors to consider when attempting to isolate fact from fiction. For one, it is impossible to bypass the fact that Charles Pogue was granted a patent for his invention. At some point, engineers from the U.S. Patent Office had to review the claims of the invention and at least determine its plausibility. Also, if the high-mileage carburetor did not work as Pogue claimed, then it is doubtful that the head of one of the largest auto dealers in town would put his reputation on the line by confirming he personally tested the invention and that it actually worked as claimed. For that matter, why would a respected millionaire in the Toronto mining community put his money and public reputation on the line for a faulty invention? If the invention did not work as claimed, why did the announcement of a "carburetor that almost ran on air" cause oil prices on the Toronto Stock Exchange to fall six points and brokers all through the country become swamped with orders to dump their oil stocks? Perhaps another important factor to consider is that Mr. Pogue and his investor, Mr. Holmes, made no claims for themselves. All claims were allegedly made and tested by outsiders, several prominent engineers who came to Winnipeg, Canada to test the invention and were compelled to admit they were satisfied as to the accuracy of the carburetor. Lastly, if the invention was not perceived as a potential threat to the oil industry, why would thieves repeatedly break in to Pogue's laboratory and steal the prototypes he had made by hand? If these thieves were instead independently trying to steal the technology to make a profit for themselves, why has the technology never been brought to market even 80 years later? One logical conclusion may be that this was an effort to suppress technology that would have limited profits in which certain institutions would otherwise gain from the oil industry.

Artist sketch of Pogue carburetor theft, August 15, 1936. Courtesy of Winnipeg Free Press.

Above: A copy of the sketch that the Winnipeg Free Press artists created to demonstrate how and where the thieves broke in to steal Pogue's inventions on August 14, 1936.

Pogue Carburetor technology explained, 1953. Courtesy of Fuel Vapors.

Why this technology has never been introduced to the mainstream market has never been absolutely clear, especially considering the interesting prediction of former General Motors Research Chief, Charles Kettering. In a 1929 interview, Mr. Kettering, who was also an inventor and engineer, predicted automobiles would achieve 80 miles per gallon by 1939. How is it that 71 years later, we still have yet to surpass an average of 35 miles per gallon? Are we in fact getting the best efforts of the American auto manufacturer today? How long will they pretend that true fuel efficiency is not in demand and in the best interest of our nation's energy security?

On February 2, 2003, Florida's Sun-Sentinel newspaper printed an article, "Death of a Supercar." The publication mentioned that "previously cold war secrets" were used to help create 80 mile per gallon passenger vehicles. Does this imply that the previously secret Cold War technologies are no longer considered classified? I would like to know if these secrets included Pogue's carburetor designs since the Cold War began only a decade after he patented his inventions. After all, Pogue did have patents registered in both Canada and the United States. A journalist who interviewed Pogue in 1953 revealed that Pogue disclosed that "the first rash of publicity brought letters of inquiry from the governments of Italy and Canada and personal visits from representatives of Nazi Germany and Communist Russia." Mr. Pogue also claimed that he received a letter of invitation to submit his carburetor to the United States government during World War II. After two weeks waiting in a hotel room in Washington D.C., he claims his carburetor was turned down. Or was it?

I believe it is reasonable to assume, much like the race to create the first working atom bomb during World War II, that the U.S. government would want to counter any potential leverage the enemy might exploit against us; i.e., extreme fuel efficiency capacity during times of war. Imagine if tanks and other military vehicles could triple their driving range and extend their combat pursuits in non-favorable terrain. That kind of advantage could have potentially caused the United States and our Allies to lose the war.

Since Pogue lived on a farm in his youth and began working on his invention out of frustration with the fuel inefficiency of farm tractors, it is believed that these tractors benefited from this high-mileage carburetor prior to World War II. However, during the war, it is rumored that the U.S. Army installed this technology in their tanks in the North African desert to defeat German Nazi General Rommel. According to the story, it was the extended driving capacity range of our tanks that allegedly helped ensure U.S. victory in Northern Africa.

At the beginning of 2009, I made an inquiry to the U.S. Army Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Department in reference to this story. However, after six months of letters, phone calls, and e-mails, I was told that no one knew where to begin looking for this information. The representative who initially helped me made multiple inquiries into several departments of the military. Not even a hint or a whisper of Pogue's invention was located in the records declassified by former President Ronald Reagan during this time period. Perhaps if enough people inquire, you might have better fortune inquiring with the Department of Defense as to what "previously cold war secrets" were used for the PNGV ("Supercar") project in 2000 which are no longer available in today's vehicles. Since the Big Three automakers obviously have no interest in further developing this technology, I am pretty sure inventors, mechanics, hobbyists, and engineers across the world might be interested - especially those from India and China.

Inventor, Charles Nelson Pogue, 1936. Courtesy of Vapor Systems.

Pogue's 1934 Ford V8 Coupe. Courtesy of Canadian Automotive Trade Magazine, May 1936.

As you may notice, the 1934 V8 Coupe in which Pogue originally tested his patented, high mileage carburetor was not incredibly aerodynamic. It also consisted of a heavy, steel framed body that most likely increased resistance. Imagine what it could have achieved if the lightweight, reinforced carbon fiber used in Formula One racing cars and in avionics had been available. One advantage that some claim may have been a key factor in Pogue's incredible fuel economy success was that it used "white gasoline." This is gasoline that did not contain modern additives and impurities such as lead, which may possibly have rendered the visionary carburetor helpless.

**Patents Registered under Pogue:** 1750354; 1938497; 1997497; 2026798; 2392549; 2495905.

The above patents may be viewed on www.DeathofaGasGuzzler.com, **www.google.com/patents,** or **http://patft.uspto.gov/.** Note how he emphasizes the idea of vaporizing the fuel in order to achieve dramatic fuel efficiency.

Tom Ogle

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As the environmental movement began to take shape in the early 1970s, a nationwide panic ensued in 1973 when the Arab members of OPEC cut off exports to the United States and other nations supporting Israel as a powerful intimidation tool for political leverage. This was a bold attempt to coerce Israeli forces to leave occupied Arab lands.

Perhaps to the relief of those traumatized by rising gas prices and oil shortages in the United States, a clever 24-year-old mechanic from El Paso, Texas named Thomas Ogle made headlines when he claimed his invention would allow any V-8 engine to get 160 miles to the gallon in city driving. Reporters, engineering professors, and auto representatives became excited again when he revealed the results of an independent exhaust emissions test, which showed that his system operates nearly pollution-free.

The inspiration came to him when he was only 19 years old. Toying around with his lawn mower, Ogle punched a hole in the top of the engine's fuel tank, removed the carburetor just to indulge his curiosity, and inserted a hose into the carburetor jet, connecting it to the fuel tank. Ogle said the lawn mower ran for 96 straight hours at idle speed. Ever since his initial experiment, it appears that Tom was hooked on the thrill of inventing something that could ultimately change the auto industry forever. Or at least, that was the plan before he died of a mysterious alcohol and drug overdose on August 19, 1981 at the young age of 26.

Although Ogle was eventually granted his patent, Patent Office examiners in Washington indicated that a patent may already have been issued to a person or a company for a system similar to Ogle's. I'll give you Three Big guesses as to which company came up the most. If you guessed General Motors, you may pass Go and collect $2 trillion dollars. One of their patents included a vaporized system that eliminated the carburetor, obtained by GM in 1972. Once he learned of this information from the Patent Office, Tom Ogle asked the same question that I am asking, and the same question you may be asking: if General Motors already came up with a similar patented invention, then why wasn't it on the market? Surely after the oil embargo only a few years earlier, this technology would have been in high demand - which is why Ogle approached former President Carter to assist him in developing his invention. Ogle was convinced that, "nobody has ever tried it without a carburetor. And the other mechanics have been too busy trying to build cars that fly."

Tom Ogle under the Hood. Courtesy of Argosy magazine August, 1977.

Patents registered by General Motors using a similar concept of fuel vapors to power a combustion engine: (Sample List)

• 3645244 - System for mixing air with fuel tank vapor.

• 3963012 - Engine with vapor heat transfer capsule for intake mixture heating.

• 3977378 - Self-controlled vapor heat capsule for engine intake mixture heating.

• 4458655 - Fuel injection nozzle with heated valve.

Patents registered by Daimler Benz (MB/Chrysler) using a similar concept of fuel vapors to power a combustion engine: (Sample List)

• 4126111 - Otto internal combustion engine (fuel evaporation).

• 4186704 - Installation for the preheating of the suction mixture of a carburetor internal combustion engine by means of the exhaust gases thereof.

• 4303050 - Heated flow director (for more complete fuel evaporation).

• 4553520 - Device for the generation of a defined fuel vapor/air mixture (for the production of a fuel vapor/air mixture).

• 4870932 - Fuel injection heating system (Improving the basic concept of heating fuel of an internal combustion engine).

• 5140967 - Evaporation element in an internal-combustion engine cylinder head.

Patents registered by Ford using a similar concept of fuel vapors to power a combustion engine: (Sample List)

• 4094275 - Vaporized liquid fuel delivery and metering system (means for vaporizing a liquid fuel).

• 4161931- Vapor temperature controlled exhaust gas heat exchanger (gas heat exchanger for vaporizing a liquid fuel).

• 5331937 - Charge inlet system for internal combustion engine (contains an electrically operated reservoir for heating and partially vaporizing fuel).

• 5813388 - Heated assembly for vaporization of fuel in an internal combustion engine.

Patent registered by Tom Ogle: 4177779

Tom Ogle's patent may be viewed on www.DeathofaGasGuzzler.com **, www.google.com/patents,** or **http://patft.uspto.gov/.** Note how he also emphasizes the idea of vaporizing the fuel in order to achieve dramatic fuel efficiency. He cites several other inventors who have contributed to and expanded the idea of vaporizing fuel in order to achieve significant gains in fuel efficiency. He also makes the assertion that, "Due to the extremely lean fuel mixtures used by the present invention, gas mileage in excess of one hundred miles per gallon may be achieved."

Killing the Supercar

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In the fall of 1993, former President Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, and Dr. Charles Gray of the Environmental Protection Agency attempted perhaps the most ambitious technological venture in our government's history in terms of improving fuel economy. What began as a childhood hobby for Dr. Gray ultimately led to a discussion by the heads of the Big Three American automakers about combining their efforts by dedicating approximately $1.5 billion in taxpayer money and "the best scientific minds, and previously secret Cold War technologies" to build a supercar - a family-sized vehicle that would achieve 80 miles per gallon. Due to the initial lack of faith expressed by his colleagues, Dr. Gray allegedly began creating his own Supercar secretly at the same time in order to prove that achieving this level of fuel efficiency in a production vehicle was possible.

In the end, despite this tremendous accomplishment (which was on schedule according to the timetable provided), the Big Three American automakers reportedly told their government partners that they wanted to kill the supercar project four years before meeting their promised deadline. The Clinton administration understood that 700,000 barrels of oil per day could be saved if the U.S. auto fleet could improve its fuel efficiency by only two miles per gallon. Imagine what would have been accomplished if these 80-mile per gallon vehicles were mass marketed to the rest of the world when they were available in 2000. In the fall of 2000, if Gore had won the presidential election, perhaps we could have achieved something no other nation had done up to that point. Shortly after George W. Bush won the election, Vice President Dick Cheney was appointed to lead an energy task force to devise a long-term national energy policy, while Secretary of Energy, Spencer Abraham, announced cuts to their budget, including funding of the supercar project.

Below are the three prototypes created by GM, Ford, and Daimler Chrysler with the $1.5 billion in taxpayer dollars. Today they are nothing more than museum pieces - assuming that they have not already been dismantled and destroyed. Not only did the Big Three automakers not fulfill their agreement with the government to introduce these vehicles to the marketplace, but they also failed to use emerging technologies to improve the fuel economy of their existing fleets, as per their promise in the 1993 supercar agreement. Meanwhile, as the Big Three automakers presently attempt to stay afloat financially, the above mentioned article notes that, "In an ironic twist, the U.S. government is helping sell the Japanese hybrids. Consumers buying a hybrid receive a one-time $2,000 tax deduction from the IRS."

GM Precept = 80 MPG. Courtesy of Electrifying Times

The Ford Prodigy hybrid electric car = 72 MPG. Courtesy of Automotive Intelligence.

Daimler Chrysler ESX3 = 72 MPG. Courtesy of Automotive Intelligence.

Patents citing the PNGV vehicle: (Sample list)

• 5819702 - High efficiency vehicle and engine.

• 6202782 - Vehicle driving method and hybrid vehicle propulsion system.

• 6403245 - Materials and processes for providing fuel cells and active membranes.

• 6443125 - High efficiency vehicle and engine.

• 6553301 - System and method of providing optimal fuel economy for automobiles.

• 6581048 - 3-brain architecture for an intelligent decision and control system.

Trash Talking and Petrol Lattes

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One of my favorite aspects of playing basketball, football, or beach volleyball is the refined art of "trash talking." It is this fundamental element alone that genetically defines American competition and takes the game to unimaginable levels - all for the sake of defending masculine pride. There is something very gratifying and primal about defeating an opponent who arrogantly challenges your ability just before the event begins.

For example, who could ever forget the Beijing Olympics in 2008, when Alain Bernard of the men's French swim team, taunted team U.S.A. in an interview just prior to competing in their event? I believe his exact words were, "The Americans? We're going to smash them [in the 4 x 100 relay]. That's what we're here for." I have never been an avid swim fan. However, after hearing this bold and arrogant challenge, I admit that my curiosity prevented me from changing the channel. It was the most intense and exciting match I had seen in a long time as France was neck-in-neck with the United States. When the U.S. "smashed" France by a fingernail (.08 of a second), I launched out of my chair as goose bumps pierced my skin like an electrical charge. I cheered with overwhelming excitement and pride for team U.S.A. This is the beauty and spirit of competition - it gives you the strength and momentum to be better than anyone else has ever been before you. It also helps your motivation when your pride is challenged during a moment of trash-talking.

When I hear that a high school auto engineering team in France achieved an amazing 10,705 miles per gallon (4,551 km/litre) with a combustion engine in 2003 - in deathly contrast to the U.S. CAFE fuel economy standards "beefing up" to only 35 miles per gallon by 2020 - it is as though I hear the rest of the world taunting team U.S.A. all over again. The only difference is that the Big Three American automakers are simply warming the bench, guzzling their petro-lattes, without even trying to compete in this industry. How bitterly disgraceful. In the world of fuel economy, team U.S.A. has become the ugly fat kid that always gets picked last... if at all.

The French Microjoule car is celebrated as the most fuel-efficient vehicle on the planet. In 2003, this single-seat phenomenon was developed by students from the French Technical School St. Joseph La Joliverie. Before our tax dollars bail out another mismanaged mega-corporation, could we possibly set aside educational funds for our high school and college students, so that they may finally compete with our European and Asian counterparts? How is it that despite the No Child Left Behind program our children have already been left behind? The future of our country has been outsourced to cheaper labor overseas. Perhaps we are just too distracted by mindless entertainment and antidepressant drugs to notice.

Team Microjoule (left) featured with Team Fancy Carol (right) at the Shell Eco-Marathon in 2003. Courtesy of Fancy Carol Super Mileage Car team in Japan.

The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE (PIAXP)

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I find it interesting that most of the dozens of people I have personally spoken with while researching information for this book believe there is a conspiracy between the auto and oil industries that has historically prevented and/or suppressed the inventions I have presented here.

If this is true, it is comforting to know that there are organizations and competitions out there committed to countering this effort, such as the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize. In November 2009, $5.5 million was offered from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Action to the X Prize competition on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy. This new competition intended to "inspire a new generation of viable, super fuel-efficient vehicles that offer more consumer choices." Teams from around the world competed to create the best "clean, production capable vehicles that exceed 100 miles per gallon or energy equivalent (MPGe)." According to Chris Theodore, Vice Chairman of American Specialty Cars Incorporated, any bright engineer can achieve 100 miles per gallon. "But with the rules of cost and safety and desirability and functionality, it becomes much more challenging. I'm not sure the public appreciates how difficult it is."

Among the top 43 teams that passed the second round of judging in October 2009 to possibly win the ten million dollar prize, was an American high school team from Philadelphia's inner city, called the West Philly Hybrid X Team. This is exactly the type of challenge our educational institutions need. Instead of focusing on memorizing easily forgettable answers to standardized tests, I wonder if we might be able to challenge our youth to be more creative and innovative, using learning methods that can be carried on into the real world. This is one of the concerns I had while teaching in China, a country where the Eastern philosophy of "the greater good is more important than the individual" is deeply embedded. Although I feel there is great moral value in this ideology, I also feel it may potentially weaken education if uniformity is so rigidly upheld that individualism is shunned to the point of stifling true creativity. Can a person ever achieve true innovation if individual and collaborative creativity is not nurtured and encouraged?

This is why I have such admiration and respect for the United States high school team in Philadelphia that was qualified in the X PRIZE competition as well as for the French engineering high school team that currently holds the world record for the greatest fuel efficiency using an internal combustion engine (totaling 10,705 miles per gallon). If I were still in high school, the potential recognition of my team and school, not to mention the $10 million award would be a great incentive. What am I saying? This is still a great incentive as an adult! It is incredibly inspiring to see this young group of teenagers so motivated and successful as they compete with Fortune 500 companies without intimidation. Regardless of the final results of the competition, I feel that they have already won a tremendous victory by the level of inspiration they have invoked around the world. The West Philly Hybrid X Team deserves to be recognized for their efforts.

What I find to be almost as remarkable is that, out of the top 43 teams that qualified for the 100+ miles per gallon competition, none included members of the Big Three American automakers.

**Website** : www.progressiveautoxprize.org

" _We've embarked on the beginning of the last days of the age of oil. Embrace the future and recognize the growing demand for a wide range of fuels or ignore reality and slowly—but surely—be left behind."_

\- Mike Bowlin, chairman and CEO of ARCO (now BP), 1999

Promising Alternative Fuels

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Although there are currently many creative experiments being conducted throughout the scientific and engineering world in the areas of fuel and propulsion, my research has led me to believe that the following alternative methods appear to be among the most promising for mainstream consumption. The basic criteria I used to formulate my opinion are the ability to be sustainable, the potential to allow any nation to become energy independent, and the capacity to significantly improve human and environmental health.

You may notice that I have not included ethanol derived from food crops among my choices, despite its general ability to be biodegradable, its potential to reduce greenhouse gases, and its capacity to mix with current forms of gasoline. The dilemma with most forms of food-based ethanol, as you may already know, lies in the fact that it currently requires heavy government subsidies for the program to be successful or financially viable. Ethanol resources from food crops, such as corn, sugar, sunflower, and soybeans compete with and strain the world's food supplies. As a result, this drives up the prices of many (if not most) staple foods.

As a vegan, I routinely read food labels while grocery shopping. I think that if more people read food labels, they might be surprised to find that most of their favorite packaged foods and drinks (including sodas, juices, cereals, and coffees) contain one or a combination of these plant sources in some form. This includes high fructose corn syrup, refined sugar, soy, oil, flour, etc. If people thought organic foods were expensive in the past, just imagine what would happen to the prices of our common, pesticide-saturated, hormone-induced, nutrient-deprived, and genetically-altered food if we replaced 25%-50% of our fuel needs with food-derived ethanol. This is clearly not a sustainable future for fuel and energy.

This is a major dilemma for both human and livestock consumption. I imagine that if the cost of livestock feed continues to climb as a result of ethanol production, the price of most meats would go up as well. Consumers would either absorb the rising costs or restaurants and grocery vendors might be forced to add additional cheap fillers in meat products. This impact would trickle down to third world countries, especially considering the Unites States provides a significant amount of corn to these already impoverished nations.

Finally, but certainly not least, in order to meet a significant percentage of the world's fuel needs (especially for the United States), a disproportionate amount of fertile land would have to be cleared for biofuel crops. This includes, but is not limited to the burning of rainforests in the Amazon and South-East Asia to produce ethanol. This is counterproductive to protecting our environment, human health, sustainability, energy independence. Ultimately, this is an iconic example of how the ends do not justify the means.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells

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As the first mass-produced automobile quickly became a popular alternative to trains and horses, it is difficult to say whether anyone could have predicted how relying on a singular, limited, and harmful fuel source would ultimately harm us. The idea of using electricity to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen was known at least eighty-five years before Jules Verne wrote about it in 1874. Experiments with this specific process began as early as 1789 by Jan Rudolph Deiman and Adriaan Paets van Troostwijk using an electrostatic machine to produce electricity and discharged it with gold electrodes in a Leyden jar with water. This history of hydrogen experimentation indicates that the science behind hydrogen production is well understood.

Hydrogen is one of the few resources of fuel and energy that comes from a variety of both renewable and finite fossil fuels, which is to say that it may be categorized as an abundant resource. It can be made domestically without dependence on any other country, which greatly enhances national security by reducing strains on foreign resources and relations. The water by-product emitted from the hydrogen fuel cells in NASA's space shuttles is even pure enough for the crew to use as drinking water. Try convincing the CEOs of the Big Three automakers to consume the byproducts of their combustion vehicles.

In May 2009, the Obama Administration made a decision to cut funding for research into hydrogen fuel cells. This decision was the result of at least four "miracles" that the U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said needed to happen to make the long-term program viable. These miracles included the need to compress hydrogen in large volumes and maintain a high density. Mr. Chu was not specific, however, when he claimed in an interview with Technology Review that "(hydrogen) fuel cells aren't there yet." There are a few companies that have produced working prototypes using hydrogen, including the Honda Clarity. One of its major champions is Hollywood actress Jamie Lee Curtis who says that she will cry when her lease expires. The Clarity has a "microwave oven-size" fuel cell which is a major accomplishment in the evolution of hydrogen cells.

The final obstacle Secretary Chu identified is the lack of a distribution infrastructure. According to Lawrence D. Burns, VP of Research and Development at GM, the current petroleum-based fuel distribution network could be retrofitted to generate and provide hydrogen to consumers. Imagine how much money could be saved by not having to dismantle this vast infrastructure once oil runs out, and how many billions might be saved by not having to build an entirely new fuel distribution network.

Secretary Chu's argument also failed to acknowledge the potential for consumers to have hydrogen-producing units in their homes and communities (e.g., Honda's Home Energy Stations), independent from the traditional fueling station. This can serve a variety of purposes, including off-setting home energy costs by charging during non-peak hours and/or using wind turbines or solar cells to generate and store energy in fuel cells for later use. In the event of a grid power outage, these same hydrogen units at home, as well as the fuel cell within the vehicle, may be designed to function as a back-up generator for the home. This unique factor alone is a tremendous benefit for a hurricane state like Florida.

Another potential option that may not be getting enough attention in research and development circles are the promising breakthroughs being conducted to tap into an efficient, abundant, and cheap method of producing hydrogen from ammonia in animal and human urine. Not only is ammonia easy to store and transport in large quantities, but Ohio State University's Electrochemical Engineering Research Laboratory also claims that they have gotten past the previous challenges that the Department of Energy cited in 2006. Director Gerardine Botte has demonstrated that liquid ammonia has 50% more hydrogen density and is easier to transport than a gallon of liquid hydrogen. They also claim their patented electrolyzer used to extract hydrogen not only requires no heat input (thus saving on energy and production costs), but that they are able to produce one kilogram (equivalent to one gallon of gasoline) for $0.90. Compare this to recent hydrogen sales at $5.00 - $10.00 per kilogram via current industry methods. Whether we exploit this incredible resource or not, it still exists as a constant source which would otherwise burden sewage treatment plants as our population grows. Surely the infrastructure to store and transport ammonia already exists in virtually every state in the country. From this new perspective, suddenly the mechanism of the human body seems that much more extraordinary. Is it possible that the 6.8 billion people occupying this planet could potentially and naturally produce all the abundant and renewable fuel resources we could ever need on a daily basis? Hopefully time and a lot of ingenuity will tell.

Organizations experimenting with and using this technology: (Sample List)

• Dr. Gerardine G. Botte, Director of the Electrochemical Engineering Research Laboratory (EERL) - http://webche.ent.ohiou.edu/eerl/people/Individual%20Pages/botte.htm

• GM Hywire and Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell - www.gm.com

• Home Energy Stations - http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/home-energy-station.aspx

• Hydrogen Solar - www.hydrogensolar.com

• Hydrogenics - www.hydrogenics.com

• Intergalactic Hydrogen - www.americanfuelvehicles.com

• Mercedes-Benz F-Cell hatchback - www.daimler.com

• National Fuel Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine - http://www.nfcrc.uci.edu/2/ACTIVITIES/PROJECTS/hydrogen/HydrogenicsHomeFueler.aspx

• Ohio University Research - http://www.ohio.edu/research/communications/ammonia-fuel.cfm

• The Honda FCX Clarity - www.automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity

• The PAC-Car II set the current absolute record of 12,665 mpg powered by hydrogen - www.paccar.ethz.ch/index

Patented Inventions: (Sample List)

• 3911284 - Fuel and Vehicle System Based on Liquid

• 4019868 - Solar Hydrogen Generator

• 4077780 - Recovery of hydrogen and nitrogen from ammonia plant purge gas

• 4180552 - Process for hydrogen recovery from ammonia purge gases

• 4455152 - Hydrogen Generator

• 5089107 - Bi-Polar Auto Electrolytic Hydrogen Generator

• 6508210 - Fuel Supply System for a Vehicle Including a Vaporization Device for Converting Fuel and Water into Hydrogen

• 6653007 - Hydrogen Generator for Fuel Cell Operation

• 6732678 - Apparatus and method for reproducing energy

• 6745801 - Mobile Hydrogen Generation and Supply System

• 6770186 - Rechargeable Hydrogen-Fueled Motor Vehicle

• 6804950 - Plasma Reforming and Partial Oxidation of Hydrocarbon Fuel Vapor to Produce Synthesis Gas and/or Hydrogen Gas

• 7485211 - Electro-catalysts for the oxidation of ammonia in alkaline media

• Application number: 10/962,894 - Electro-Catalysts for the Oxidation of Ammonia in Alkaline Media

**Algae**

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According to a 2009 report from Science Progress, "the entire world petroleum demand which is now provided for by 31 billion barrels of crude oil might instead be met from algae grown on an area equivalent to 40% of the of the United States." Considering all the incredible scientific and technological achievements that have helped advance the human race, I find it humbling that one of the most basic units of life may have the potential to save us from ourselves. In my opinion, the vast potential of algae makes it the most exciting of all biofuels.

Not only is algae experimentation proving to be an ideal alternative to petroleum in multiple applications such as plastics, households cleaning supplies, biodiesel, and jet fuels, but it has multiple applications in pharmaceuticals as well as in the health and beauty industries. Like many of other biofuels, algae biodiesel is biodegradable. In contrast to corn, sugar, soy, and sunflower biofuels, algae does not compete with food crops. The reality and beauty of algae as a potential fuel source is that it is not necessary to clear rainforests, set aside fertile farmland, or use fresh water to grow and manufacture. This means that algae are flexible enough to be produced in barren deserts, municipal waste, or man-made ponds. It is difficult not to view algae as a godsend considering that it can function to sequester carbon dioxide from coal burning factories and may even be grown in vertical greenhouses in order to minimize occupied space. Another striking factor about algae is that its simple cellular structure can yield 30 times more energy per acre than land crops such as soybeans, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Existing coal power plant emissions could be an ideal and thriving breeding ground to produce algae biofuel while reducing significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions as algae feed on CO2 and release oxygen. Lastly, but certainly not least, algae contains protein, carbohydrates, and fats which may be used as ingredients in animal feed.

Perhaps one of the most important challenges of trying to meet any nation's fuel demands via food-based crops is that they cause serious soil mining and land desertification dilemmas, whereas algae farms do not. Michael Briggs of the University of New Hampshire Biodiesel Group estimates that by using open, outdoor, racetrack ponds, only 15,000 square miles (38,849 square kilometers) could produce enough algae to meet all U.S. ground transportation needs. The U.S. Department of Energy reached the same conclusion.

Critics may argue that one of the few potential downsides of algae biofuel is that it still produces some amounts of greenhouse gases when burned. However, the emissions released are dramatically less than those produced by burning fossil fuels. Also, since algae feeds off of CO2 in the atmosphere in order to grow, it naturally releases fresh oxygen as a byproduct, which makes it potentially environmentally neutral.

Organizations using or experimenting with this technology: (Sample List)

• AlgaeLink - www.algaelink.com

• Green Star Products Inc. - www.greenstarusa.com

• Institute for Integrated Research in Materials, Environments and Societies (IIRMES) - www.iirmes.org (an advanced research lab at California State University, Long Beach, CA)

• National Algae Association - www.nationalalgaeassociation.com

• Old Dominion University - http://www.odu.edu/oduhome/news/spotlight111.shtml

• OriginOil Inc. - www.originoil.com

• PetroSun - www.petrosuninc.com

• Solazyme - www.solazyme.com

• U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory - www.nrel.gov

• University of Minnesota - http://www1.umn.edu/news/features/2008f/UR_168908_REGION1.html

• Valcent Products Inc. - www.valcent.net

• Xcel Energy -http://xcelenergy.com/Minnesota/Company/Environment/Renewable%20Development%20Fund/Pages/FlueGasC%292Capture,andRapidGrowthAlgaetoproducebiodieselandotherrenewablefuels.aspx

Patented Inventions: (Sample List)

• 3520081 - Method for Growing Algae

• 3468057 - Process for the Culture of Algae and Apparatus Therefore

• 3768200 - Apparatus for the Production of Algae

• 7135308 - Process for the Production of Ethanol From Algae

• Application number: 11/510148 - Method, Apparatus and System for Biodiesel Production From Algae

•Application number: 11/549532 - Photosynthetic Oil Production in a Two-Stage Reactor

•Application number: 11/549541 - Photosynthetic Carbon Dioxide Sequestration and Pollution Abatement

•Application number: 11/549552 - High Photo efficiency Microalgae Bioreactors

•Application number: 11/746389 - Apparatus and Method for Growing Biological Organisms for Fuel and Other Purposes

•Application number: 12/415301 - Apparatus and Process for Biological Wastewater Treatment

**Methane**

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When my father was enlisted in the army, I attended a Department of Defense elementary school in northern Italy. My fourth grade teacher taught our class about the growing challenge of overwhelming trash accumulation in the world, particularly in the United States. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generated about 254 million tons of trash and recycled and composted 85 million tons of this material, equivalent to a 33.4 % recycling rate in 2007. When I attended grade school in 1985, it was estimated that Americans generated approximately 164 million tons of total waste and recovered only about 10 % of that amount. Our assignment was to come up with creative ways to solve this problem. My idea was to fill large rockets with the world's trash and then launch them to the sun. This way, our garbage and waste could simply burn up and disintegrate, instead of polluting the earth or outer space. Obviously, I never understood how financially ineffective this would be. For children, practicality is never a prerequisite for creativity. However, for adults, creativity is still a prerequisite for innovative practice. Never could I have imagined that several years later, we might potentially reduce this enormous problem by converting methane produced by waste into an abundant resource for both energy and fuel.

Today, it appears that the significant amounts of methane produced by landfills may have provided the opportunity to help solve two problems at the same time - reducing our dependence on petroleum and eliminating our mounting garbage problem. Normally released into the environment as a greenhouse gas, methane created by decomposing trash can now be processed to make liquefied natural gas to power vehicles thanks to environmentally committed companies such as Waste Management in partnership with the Linden Group. Not only does this help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it provides a creative and renewable means to use methane from waste sludge, bio waste from animals and humans, as well as methane emitted from coal mines in order to reduce our dependence on petroleum. Converting waste into usable fuel and energy is an incredible evolution of waste disposal. Converting waste into usable fuel and energy also generates and keeps revenue within our country, creating secure jobs at home and increasing national security by reducing dependence on foreign nations for energy.

Organizations using or experimenting with this technology: (Sample List)

• Business Region Göteborg - www.brgbiogas.com

• Ecofasa - http://lele.newsvine.com/_news/2008/10/18/2014473-ecofasa-turns-waste-to-biodiesel-using-bacteria-

• Fiat Panda Multi-eco - http://www.fiat.co.uk/Showroom/#showroom/panda

• Folkcenter for Renewable Energy - www.folkecenter.net/gb

• Gude Southlawn Sanitary Landfill, Rockville, MD - http://www.icleiusa.org/success-stories/copy_of_clean-power/methane-capture/montgomery-county-md-powers-2-700-homes-with-landfill-gas

• MEGTEC Systems' Patented Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) Technology - http://www.megtec.com/documents/MEGTEC%20Ventilation%20Air%20Methane%20%28VAM%29%20Processing.pdf

• The City of Greensboro, NC landfill - http://www.icleiusa.org/success-stories/copy_of_clean-power/methane-capture/greensboro-nc-produces-30-000-worth-of-landfill-methane-per-year

• The Marvelous Chicken-Powered Car from Inventor Harold Bate - www.green-trust.org/2000/biofuel/batesmethane.htm

• University of North Carolina - http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3017/74/

• Volvo 850 and S-60 Bi-Fuel Technology - www.volvocars.com

• Waste Management - http://www.wm.com/wm/press/mediakit/Renewable_Energy_Brochure.pdf

• WestStart-CALSTART - www.calstart.org

Patented Inventions: (Sample List)

• 4323367 - Gas Production by Accelerated In Situ Bioleaching of Landfills

• 4396402 - Gas Production by Accelerated Bioleaching of Organic Materials

• 4624417 - Process for Converting Solid Waste and Sewage Sludge Into Energy Sources and Separate Recyclable By-products

• 5269234 - Method for Processing Solid, Hazardous Waste Material for Use as a Fuel

• 5288170 - Sludge/Waste Landfill Method and System

• 5451249 - Landfill Gas Treatment System

• 5695641 - Method and Apparatus for Enhancing Methane Production

• 6032467 - Method and Apparatus for Recovering Energy From Wastes

• 6205704 - Method and Apparatus for Enhancing Plant Growth in Greenhouses Utilizing Landfill Gas

• 7252691 - Conversion of Municipal Solid Waste to High Fuel Value

Waste Vegetable Oil

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As a teenager, perhaps you had the opportunity to work at a fast-food restaurant like McDonalds, Wendy's, or Burger King. Most people I know, including myself, can reflect (and hopefully laugh) at their own experience of working at one of these fast food franchises while attending high school. If you ask any teenage employee today what they hate about this job, I expect many would say the smell and feel of the oil on their skin and clothes at the end of the day. Peeling off your clothing at the end of the night invokes images of animals saturated by the disastrous Exxon-Valdez (1989) and BP (2010) oil spills.

Restaurants typically pay to have their used oil properly disposed. In the home, however, most of the oil left over after cooking typically ends up in the sewage system or in landfills. Franchises and municipal facilities could save millions of dollars in oil disposal and clean-up efforts for the 195,000 fast-food and 80,000 casual dining restaurants in the United States alone by encouraging entrepreneur companies to re-use the wasted vegetable oil as biofuel. This could create new revenue for thousands of restaurants, entrepreneurs, as well as for the government in the form of fuel taxes. This also creates the opportunity to introduce and keep new jobs within the country, improve greenhouse emissions, and increase energy security by not having to rely on any other nation. Best of all, using waste vegetable oil would not create additional strain on farmlands because it only involves existing vegetable oil supplies and therefore would not affect world food prices by competing with food-based biofuel crops.

Fortunately, some organizations, including the U.S. Navy, have already taken the initiative to recycle used cooking oil for conversion into biodiesel. This is by no means a technological breakthrough, because the use of vegetable oil as a diesel fuel was recorded as early as 1900 at the World's Fair in Paris by Rudolf Diesel, the man credited with inventing the diesel engine. Oddly enough, it would appear that the last time academic research in this field flourished was following the last oil embargo during the 1970s and 1980s. As petroleum prices fell, vegetable oil biofuel research diminished. It is comparable to ignoring the advice of engineers in reference to the inadequate levees in New Orleans, witnessing the disaster caused by hurricane Katrina in 2005, then rebuilding them only to fail during the next major hurricane.

Again, this may not make a dramatic dent in off-setting our petroleum consumption needs. However, the potential size of this industry and its ability to help prevent unnecessary landfill and sewer waste while producing (and keeping) revenue within our country is too substantial to be ignored. Unlike many petroleum alternatives, this should not require billions of tax dollars in additional research and developments. (Tax incentives? Definitely!) Nor does it require sophisticated and expensive drilling equipment to tap into this resource. It is readily available in every U.S. city from franchise owners who would probably be very grateful to be rid of their costly waste-product for free (or for a small profit).

Organizations using or experimenting with this technology: (Sample List)

• Environmental Planet Recycling (Colorado) \- www.recyclemyoil.com

• Tulsa BioFuels - www.tulsabiofuels.com

• U.S. Navy - http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=13155

• V.O. Tech: Vegetable Oil Fuel Systems - www.votechusa.com

Patented Inventions: (Sample List)

• 6364917 - Method and Equipment of Refining Plant Oil and Waste Vegetable Oil Into Diesel Engine Fuel

• 5390343 - Method for Preparing an Alcohol Modified Vegetable Oil Diesel Fuel

• 5527449 - Conversion of Waste Oils, Animal Fats and Vegetable Oils

• 5972057 - Method and Apparatus for Producing Diesel Fuel Oil From Waste Edible Oil

• Application number: 11/818729 - Vegetable Oil Fuel System for Diesel Engines

• Application number: 11/531917 - System and Method for Fueling Diesel Engines With Vegetable Oil

Used Coffee Beans

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Although I began researching the auto industry in the summer of 2008, when gasoline prices reached their highest point in history, I did not dedicate my full attention to the project until the state of the economy took its toll on my industry and I was laid off like so many other citizens. It was then that I began to share in the pleasures of the late night coffee houses as I read books and articles on the oil and auto industries. Who would have thought that the 16 billion pounds of coffee produced around the world every year could be recycled to make perhaps the most delicious smelling biofuel ever created?

Scientists estimate that spent coffee grounds could potentially add 340 million gallons of biodiesel to the world's fuel supply. Unlike food-based crops used to produce ethanol, coffee biofuel is ideal because it is a post-consumer product. As such, it does not divert land that would normally be used for food production for the sake of competing with biofuel production. The icing on top of this beautiful coffee cake is that once all of the potential biofuel is extracted from the used coffee grinds, they can be reused again as compost for farming. This process has already been in practice for years in Brazil, where they also use their stock of defective coffee beans to produce biodiesel. Understandably, coffee alone will not completely replace our fuel needs. However, the coffee output from some of the nation's largest franchises, such as Starbucks, Caribou, McDonalds, and Dunkin Donuts, as well as major brands such as Nescafé, Folgers, and Maxwell House, is an incredible potential resource that should not be ignored. Researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno who have successfully produced biodiesel from the oil derived from used coffee grounds estimate that it can be produced for about $1 per gallon. They report that the technique is not difficult and that several hundred million gallons of biodiesel could potentially be made annually.

From an economic and national security perspective, this virtually untapped source of revenue may be generated and kept within our country to provide jobs and expand our economy. Environmentally conscious individuals, grassroots campaigns, and corporate efforts will be a critical factor in establishing community efforts to eliminate home waste. Separate (brown?) recycling bins and/or convenient drop-off locations (e.g., at workplaces and grocery stores) could collect used coffee grinds for this purpose. Once the biofuel has been extracted from the used coffee grinds, the left over compost may be recycled once again as fertilizer for farming and gardening. Reflecting on the vast potential of this industry, I cringe to think of the hundreds of millions of dollars that are otherwise tossed away in our overflowing and toxic landfills every year. Besides, I am enamored with the thought of having my exhaust smell like ground java.

Organizations using or experimenting with this technology: (Sample List)

• Departamento de Química/UFMG (Brazil) - www.qui.ufmg.br

• Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil \- www.ufmg.br

• Sindicafé (Minas Gerais, Brazil) - www.sindicafesp.com.br

• University of Nevada, Reno - www.unr.edu

Patented Inventions: (Sample List)

• 5910454 - Coffee-Based Solid Fuel Composition

• 6763697 - Coffee-Sawdust-Based Solid Fuel Composition

" _Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere."_

-George Washington, First American President, 1732-1799

Industrial Hemp

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Perhaps one of the most controversial and enduring grassroots issues in America stems from the current legislation on industrial hemp and pharmaceutical-grade hemp (or marijuana). Both are by-products of the Cannabis sativa plant which have failed to be properly defined in American law since 1937. In June 1996, Hollywood actor Woody Harrelson demonstrated this fact when he allegedly planted four industrial hemp seeds on camera. This gesture challenged Kentucky state law, which does not distinguish between industrial hemp - one of the leading crops in the 1800s - and marijuana. Harrelson was arrested and appeared before the Kentucky Supreme Court. Although he did not change the law, he was eventually acquitted.

What the average person (and politician) is probably not aware of (besides the difference between industrial hemp and marijuana) is the critical role hemp has played in American history and the economy. This abundant resource is deeply rooted in the era of our founding fathers and is currently produced in over 30 countries around the world, including Canada, Australia, England, France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Russia, and China. The contributions of hemp to the development of civilized societies around the world for thousands of years through the seemingly endless products derived from this incredibly flexible plant is much too large a subject to cover in this book. Hemp-derived products include paper, clothing, food, linen, medicines, nutrient supplements, teas, ropes, durable building materials, flags, and practically anything currently made from petroleum - plastic and foam packaging, lubricants, suntan oil, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, lotions, and fuel for our cars and trucks. The first draft of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were said to be written on hemp, the first American flag was made from hemp fiber, and the first President of the United States grew hemp. It is very interesting to learn how such a popular and economically beneficial plant could become demonized without legitimate justification. It all goes back to encouraging policy makers with the F.I.G.H.T. to make the proper decisions in the best interest of our people and for the energy security of our country.

The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 shows the failure to investigate the inaccurate, incomplete, and unchallenged definition and classification of Cannabis Sativa. There is speculation that this legislation was the beginning of the successful attempt by elite members of society to prevent competition with their paper, plastic, and fuel products. It is reported that the term "marijuana" was a fairly new and misunderstood term in 1937 that was strategically used to incorrectly describe both industrial and pharmaceutical-grade hemp. Had the correct term, "hemp", been used in this legislation, I suspect that Congress and the American people would have resisted the passing of the original Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. How else can we explain the outlawing of a popular crop that was once commonly grown on American farms? This one piece of legislation has destroyed over 70 years worth of potential economic, social, and political growth within the United States of America.

Every year, Americans pay several million tax dollars to have the government seize and destroy millions of dollars worth of wild hemp growing throughout the United States. In 2005, over 218 million documented cannabis plants classified as "ditch weed" were eradicated under the Drug Enforcement Administration's Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program. Ditch weed is slang for an oilseed strain of Cannabis that grows naturally in the wild, often referred to as feral hemp. This plant does not have the THC properties found in pharmaceutical-grade hemp. The U.S. government is losing money in at least three ways:

• Money spent every year to send government agents to locate and eradicate a wild plant that has little to no drug properties;

• Money that could have been generated by cultivating the oilseed to produce and sell biofuel; and,

• The abundant left-over by-product that could have been processed into high protein hemp powder, clothing, and a large variety of other consumer products.

In the desperate job market and economy we are currently in, this policy seems to be nothing short of economic insanity and an astonishing waste of taxpayer money. At the very minimum, Congress should consider reviewing and editing the language of any legislation using the term "marijuana" to distinguish industrial hemp from pharmaceutical-grade hemp. Our friends in Canada amended their laws in 1998 to make such a distinction, enabling the development of an industrial hemp industry. There is no rational explanation as to why we are not able to do the same. Multiple new industries are desperate to be created and resurrected in the United States in order to create (at least) a few hundred thousand jobs, which may in turn significantly contribute to healing and strengthening our economy.

Since hemp grows so quickly, large-scale cultivation and utilization of hemp would enable us to cut down fewer trees and would increase the amount of vegetation on the planet, resulting in improved air quality. As with the other promising alternative fuels mentioned above, substituting hemp for products derived from petroleum creates multi-lateral benefits for any country, including and especially our own. These include, but are not limited to:

• Conserving our natural resources; i.e. wood, petroleum, natural gas, and cotton;

• Reducing pollution, acid rain, and health hazards derived from burning fossil fuels; and,

• Reducing sulfuric acid and other toxins used in the production of wood-based paper that is reported to be often dumped into rivers and streams.

Farmers claim that hemp grows to its full maturity in 3 to 4 months (sometimes 2 to 3 months) and can harvest two crops per year on the same parcel of land, year after year. It doesn't take an Ivy League degree to conclude that this is exponentially more favorable when comparing the 5 to 20 years it takes for a tree to fully develop. On a single acre of land, researchers at the University of Florida were able to yield over 11 tons of organic matter from Sunn Hemp. Also, unlike ethanol derived from corn, soy, and sugar cane, industrial hemp does not compete with other food-based products. This incredibly flexible, multi-purpose crop not only has a deep historical record of sustainability, but it may also be used to generate and keep multiple new streams of income within our country, thus enhancing our energy and economic national security.

Organizations using or experimenting with this technology: (Sample List)

• Hemp Basics - www.hempbasics.com

• Hemp House - www.hemphousemaui.com

• Hemp Traders - www.hemptraders.com

• Hempola - www.hempola.com

• Manitoba Harvest: Hemp Foods and Oils - www.manitobaharvest.com

• University of Florida, IFAS Extension - http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/tr003#FOOTNOTE_1

" _In any case, they make it certain that motor-power can still be produced from the heat of the sun, which is always available for agricultural purposes, even when all our natural stores of solid and liquid fuels are exhausted."_

\- Rudolf Diesel, Inventor of the Diesel Engine, 1913

Promising Alternative Propulsion

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In the same spirit in which we now encourage the use of energy-efficient home appliances, low-energy light bulbs, car pooling, public transportation, shared community vehicles, and hybrid vehicles to reduce the use of fossil fuel-based energy, there are a number of equally promising alternative methods of vehicle propulsion.

We may associate the concept of "alternative propulsion" with the Flintstones' foot-powered caveman vehicle. However, some of the first earliest cars ever produced were powered by steam, as pioneered by inventors such as Gottlieb Daimler and Otto Benz of Germany in 1884. These vehicles had great potential, setting a record for steam-powered vehicles in 1906 at 127.659 miles per hour (invented by the Stanley Brothers and driven by Fred Marriot). This record was not broken for more than a hundred years, until a British Steam Car Team officially recorded an average of 139.843 mph in August 2009. Today, NASA uses self-charging lithium-ion batteries in 14 square feet of three-layer photovoltaic cells, which can produce 900-watt hours of energy per day in its Martian space rovers. And yet, how is it that over 100 years after the invention of the automobile, most of the 800 million-plus vehicles around the world are still propelled by the traditional, inefficient combustion engine using a finite, environmentally hazardous, air-quality diminishing, internationally contested, and increasingly expensive petroleum-based fuel? Do auto manufacturing CEOs actually believe their economic and political leverage will last forever?

I believe there are a lot of unexplored and underfunded, talented inventors and engineers who are attempting to make great strides and efforts in the field of alternative propulsion. Out of the all the methods of propulsion I have researched, the following three appear to be among the most promising and worthy of attention:

Compressed Air

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When I first began studying the history of the relationship between the auto and oil industries, I was surprised to learn that before Henry Ford began experimenting with gasoline-powered engines, he was reportedly quite adept at working with and servicing steam engines. Prior to the successful launch of the Ford Model T, petroleum was commonly used as kerosene. This was a much cheaper and superior alternative to whale oil for lighting lamps and street lights in American cities and towns. Award-winning author James Laxer argues that "One effect of the rise of the petroleum industry is that it almost certainly saved many species of whale from extinction." The transition from whale oil to petroleum is a classic example of the inherent nature of business to evolve and transform. One industry's downfall is another industry's opportunity. Then again, how is it that we have remained obsessed with using the same inefficient internal combustion engine as a means of propulsion for the better portion of a hundred years? With all of our talented engineering programs across the nation, why haven't we further developed alternative means of propelling a vehicle? It is difficult to comprehend the purpose of showcasing incredible and innovative concept vehicles in car shows around the world if there are no intentions to mass produce them.

That is when I discovered the brilliant invention of French Formula One engineer, Guy Negre. Negre designed a concept car propelled by nothing more than compressed air! It is astonishing how $2 to $3 worth of compressed air could potentially propel a vehicle up to 1,000 miles at approximately 95 miles per hour. An air-compression vehicle works solely by compressed air or as a flexible hybrid, using gasoline, diesel, ethanol, or electricity. During a time when regular gasoline peaked at over $4 per gallon, as I continued to read the press releases of the air-powered vehicle, I was dumbfounded to learn that India was the only country that initially decided to invest in the technology behind the compressed-air prototype. As competitive as we are as a nation, I didn't understand how this was possible.

The potential benefits of this technology do not come without challenges. The first is similar to the challenge of a plug-in electric vehicle. Although it is virtually pollution-free compared to a traditional gasoline engine, the vehicle is only as environmentally friendly as the source of electricity it uses to refuel. Even though very little to no pollution come from the tail pipe of the air-powered vehicle, the amount of energy used to "refuel" the vehicle creates a greater burden at the source. Another factor is that there were no formal, independent tests as of the end of 2009 that confirmed that air compressed tanks can provide 130 km/hour (80 mph) speed and 1500 km (932 miles) range on 1.8 litres (0.47 gallons) of petrol as claimed on MDI's website. I also find it strange that Zero Pollution Motors is not featured among the top 42 vehicles competing in the Progressive Automotive X-Prize. However, it appears to me that these challenges are relatively minor and may be easily resolved with the right funding, technology, and support.

In anticipation of a future energy crisis and potential second oil embargo, air-powered vehicles may help preserve national energy security, off-setting greenhouse gasses, reducing the strain on food-based biofuel farming, and contributing to healthier air quality. Let's not forget that the idea of the average family saving hundreds of dollars per month in fuel costs alone is too enticing to ignore.

Every fueling station, mechanic shop, tire store, home repair shop, and housing community could potentially have air compression units readily available (similar to vacuum cleaners and air pumps) to replenish their vehicle's air supply very inexpensively. This will allow consumers to have extra money to save or spend - thus helping the local economy to heal itself and grow once again. Billions (or at least hundreds of millions) of dollars can potentially be saved from being spent overseas for drilling and importing oil from foreign nations - especially those with whom we have strained relations.

Some of the other benefits of using air-powered vehicles include the standards I mentioned as an ideal alternative propulsion vehicle. Air is obviously an abundant and renewable source of propulsion. Operating an air-compressed vehicle is potentially emission-free. This type of vehicle may be made domestically and does not require dependence on any other country, thus generating and keeping revenue within our own economy. One of the best parts about being propelled by compressed air, in my opinion, is that it will not harm the environment if there is an air leak.

Organizations using or experimenting with this technology: (Sample List)

• Tata Motors - www.tatamotors.com

• Zero Pollution Motors - www.zeropollutionmotors.us

• Motor Development International - www.mdi.lu/english

Patented Inventions: (Sample List)

• 3980152 - Air-Powered Vehicle

• 5957234 - Compressed Air-Powered Motor Vehicle

• 6006519 - Compressed Air-Powered Engine

• 6363723 - Method and Device for Reaccelerating a Vehicle Equipped With High Pressure Air Compressors

• 6629573 - Air-Powered Vehicle and Power Plant for the Same

Hydraulic Hybrids

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I must confess that when I first thought of writing this letter/book to the President of the United States, I wanted nothing more than to take out my frustration and anger towards the auto industry. My colleagues used to joke, whenever I found an injustice that I felt needed to be addressed, "Watch out! Luis is going to write a letter!"

This reminds me of the play The King and I. The king of Siam has invited a British teacher to show him the ways of the Western world. Prior to her arrival, the people of Siam assumed their country was the largest in the world. The king is astonished by what he learns. During a moment of puzzlement and reflection, the king sings, "There are times I almost think nobody sure of what he absolutely know....and it puzzle me to learn very quickly he will fight...He'll fight to prove that what he doesn't know is so!" I think this is a profound statement that transcends time and culture. Prior to writing this letter, I was convinced that the Big Three American auto manufacturers could very well be the most evil institutions ever created - or at least a close second to pharmaceutical and health insurance companies. Now, I realize that even among the most contrasting black and white lines, a closer look may provide some evidence of neutral gray.

As I researched experiments and prototypes that revealed creative new forms of propulsion, suddenly a glimmer of hope was sparked in the midst of my biased pessimism by a headline reading, "Ford Invents Hybrid that is 300% More Efficient than Toyota Prius." Ford revealed that they had created a new F-150 (a truck that typically weighs in at about 4800 pounds) and converted it into a hybrid using energy-storing hydraulic cylinders. This system gets its power through regenerative braking, making it ideal during stop-and-go, heavy traffic. The energy storage capacity of this old technology reportedly allows the F-150 to match the Prius at 60 mpg in the city. My hope for the auto industry was partially restored as Ford announced the hydraulic F-150 was scheduled for launch in August 2008. However, the year 2008 came and went, and while Ford stalled in the release of its hydraulic hybrid, I was thrilled to learn that the Environmental Protection Agency, its industry partners, and UPS combined their efforts and already use hydraulic hybrids in the UPS fleet. I wonder what it would take to convince the rest of the Big Three American auto manufacturers to incorporate this technology in the rest of their fleets. Would this simply be a matter of weighing the investment expense?

Organizations using or experimenting with this technology: (Sample List)

• California Polytechnic State University - http://hybridvehicle.calpoly.edu/index.html

• Environmental Protection Agency and UPS - http://www.epa.gov/OMS/technology/420f06043.htm

•Ford F-150 and F-350 Tonka with hydraulic-launch-assist (HLA) - http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=10636

Patented Inventions: (Sample List)

• 4387783 - Fuel-efficient energy storage automotive drive system

• 5495912 - Hybrid Power train Vehicle

• 5877577 - Electric Hydraulic Hybrid Motor, Control Device and Control Method for the Same Motor

• 5927073 - Electric Hydraulic Hybrid Motor

• 6126401 - Hybrid electric/hydraulic drive system

• 6719080 - Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicle

• 7147239 - Wheel creep control of hydraulic hybrid vehicle using regenerative braking

• 7232192 - Deadband Regenerative Braking Control for Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicle Power train

• Application number: 11/073299 - Hydraulic Hybrid Four Wheel Drive

• Application number: 11/359,728 - Hydraulic Hybrid Power train System

• Application number: 11/583205 - Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicle Method of Safe Operation

Electric Vehicles (EV)

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If you ask a question and already have a potential answer in mind before doing any investigation, you may be more likely to notice only the evidence that supports your hypothesis. This may be true in my case. However, there is so much documentation supporting my suspicions that it is impossible for me (and many others) to ignore it any longer.

There is a fascinating and compelling documentary film that I would highly recommend for you to watch called, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" I guarantee it will raise questions about the forces behind the slow progress of the infrastructure for fully electric vehicles up until this point - especially considering the $2.4 billion worth of government grants President Obama proposed in 2009 to spur the development of electric vehicles and to put the U.S. economy on firmer footing.

If you recall, the first hybrid and fully electric vehicles introduced to the automotive world, it was as though the large auto manufacturers tried to find the most visually deplorable design they could think of. These same vehicles lacked the power that Americans hunger for from the moment we are old enough to obtain a driver's license. In addition, the first electric vehicles suffered from a fairly limited traveling range before needing to be recharged, and the time it normally took to recharge the batteries was an assault to our culture of instant gratification. We may be spoiled, but this is how we challenge companies to improve industry by filling public needs and wants. In return, we improve the economy.

Fortunately, there have been a few companies that have stepped up to the plate and have thus become EV rock stars. They not only conquered many of the previous imperfections that have plagued electric vehicles, but they have also put some love into the visual aesthetics of the cars by having artists mold the frames into some of the most attractive vehicles to ever hug asphalt. The problems still associated with this concept are that they are often not yet cost effective for the average consumer and the energy they use to charge the vehicles still comes primarily from fossil fuels. My hope is that this will change soon.

As much as I love the idea of owning a fully electric vehicle, I believe that there are a few other factors that the average consumer may not have considered in our collective effort to become environmentally conscious. I favor the idea of a fully electric vehicle because it typically costs the consumer a fraction of the price of gasoline to recharge the car, electric vehicles may be charged from renewable and abundant sources of energy, the output energy itself is environmentally clean, and it may be produced domestically without depending on imports. Therefore, this may eliminate or limit energy-derived political leverage and conflicts against the United States.

However, increasing electricity demand from (for example) a coal-powered plant, especially those that do not sequester their CO2 emissions, increases the potential for the following hazards:

1. Killer smog - A fog made heavier and darker by smoke and chemical fumes;

2. Atmospheric sulfur and carbon dioxide emissions;

3. Acid rain - Rain that has become acidic (pH less than 5.6) after it is combined with certain atmospheric gases, such as sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides;

4. The single greatest source of mercury pollution - exposure to which is associated with both neurological and developmental damage in humans;

5. Acid mine drainage - Acidic water that is either drained from or pumped to the surface from mines, often killing aquatic systems;

6. Arsenic pollution - Often found in groundwater contamination, though exposure may also occur through air and food intake. Long periods of exposure may cause Arsenicosis, a disease derived from arsenic poisoning. Effects of consuming arsenic-rich water may include changes in skin color; hard patches on the soles of hands and feet; skin cancer; cancers of the bladder, kidneys, and lungs; diseases of the blood vessels in the legs and feet; diabetes; high blood pressure; and reproductive disorders;

7. Methane emissions from both active and abandoned coal mines. This is a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Compared to all other U.S. electric energy plants, coal-fired power plants contribute 96% of sulfur dioxide emissions (SO2), 93% of nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx), 88% of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2), and 99% of mercury emissions;

8. Death, according to climate expert and director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, Dr. James Hansen. Dr. Hansen explains how each time rapid global warming took place, more than half of animal and plant species became extinct. He emphasizes that "if we burn all fossil fuels, we will destroy the planet we know."

Organizations using or experimenting with this technology: (Sample List)

• Aptera - www.aptera.com

• BMW Electric Mini - http://www.miniusa.com/#/learn/minimalism/MINIE-m

• BYD (E6 Electric Car) - www.byd.com

• EV Innovations, Inc. - www.hybridtechnologies.com

• Japan EV Club - http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~MR5T-OKB/

• KEIO University's Eliica Electric Car - www.eliica.com, http://www.keio.ac.jp/index-en.html

• Miles Motors - www.milesev.com

• Mitsubishi (I MiEV) - http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/special/ev/

• Pivo - www.nissan-global.com/EN/PIVO2

• Printed Motor Works - www.printedmotorworks.com

• Protean Electric Ltd. - www.proteanelectric.com

• Tango Electric Car - www.commutercars.com

• Tesla Motors - www.teslamotors.com

• Wrightspeed X1 Electric Car - www.wrightspeed.com/x1.html

• ZENN Motor Company - www.zenncars.com

Solar Car Ports (i.e. to Plug-In Electric Vehicles): (Sample List)

• Carport Structures Corporation - www.carportstructures.com

• Envision Solar - www.envisionsolar.com

• Florian Solar Products, LLC - www.floriansolarproducts.com/carport.html

• Skylights of Hawaii - www.skylightsofhawaii.com/SkyCarport.htm

Patented Inventions: (Sample List)

• 5212431 - Electric Vehicle

• 5549172 - Electric vehicle drive system and drive method

• 5632534 - Electric vehicle having a hydraulic brake system

• 5883496 - Electric vehicle power supply

• 5941328 - Electric vehicle with variable efficiency regenerative braking depending upon battery charge state

" _If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich."_

\- John F. Kennedy, 35th U.S. President

Why I Believe Corporate Bailouts Are a Mistake

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1. Bankruptcy is often the result of excessive risks, improper management, or not competitively attending to the needs of the customer. It is irrelevant how much control any institution has over its industry or even how many people they employ for the simple reason that much of corporate America no longer rewards company loyalty. A significant percentage of American workers have been forced to pay for their own health insurance and retirement plans, receive no paid vacation, and may be laid off at a moment's notice during a merger, downsizing, a shift in the economy, or change in management. There is, nevertheless, an enduring tradition in business of innovation and competition when there is a need to be filled. It is my opinion that the Big Three American auto manufacturers have not been properly competing with their foreign counterparts, nor adequately keeping up with the needs and desires of the people.

2. A government bailout rewards those who engaged in risky and irresponsible financial behavior, while forcing responsible taxpayers (who have not engaged in risky investments, nor benefited from government bailouts) to pay for it. Knowing major corporations have the option to beg the government for assistance only encourages this behavior. Any small business owner would simply have to suffer the loss, repair their own credit, and learn from their mistakes if they ever wanted to do business again.

3. When bailout plans include the vocabulary, "Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency," it seems that corporate America has publicly and arrogantly declared itself a dictatorship above the law. Where is the amendment in our Constitution that indicates that, once a company reaches a certain size, it is the taxpayer's responsibility to save the organization from itself? How did our government conclude that allowing so much room for potential corporate abuse was the best solution?

However, since we have already invested billions of dollars to save the American auto industry and the American people are now theoretically partial owners of some of the biggest auto manufacturing companies in the world, I would like to make a proposal to our executive boards. I have noticed that California is unusual in having proposed its own fuel economy standards. While the current CAFE fuel efficiency standards require a frivolous average of 35 MPG by 2020, California has raised the bar by proposing 43 MPG by 2020. The PNGV "Supercar" project in 2000 demonstrated that all three American auto manufacturers are capable of achieving approximately 80 MPG in family sedans. Ford has demonstrated its ability to achieve 60 MPG in their F-150 hydraulic hybrid trucks, and GM has proudly touted its ability to achieve over 300 MPGe with the Chevy Volt. As a result, as partial owner of these companies, I feel that a fair and conservative standard that the Big Three auto manufacturers need to achieve (for the privilege of being able to continue to do business in the United States and for the sake of helping to protect our national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil) is 60 MPG/MPGe in all future passenger cars, and 50 MPG/MPGe in all future trucks, vans, and SUVs as early as 2016, but no later than 2020. For now, this should be sufficient, but may be subject to change to higher standards in the future. Once the higher fuel efficiency vehicles are released, perhaps Congress could support a Vehicle Hybrid Conversion program which will provide a tax credit (or equivalent concept) to anyone who converts their existing vehicle into a more fuel efficient hybrid. In addition, perhaps Congress could establish another Cash-for-Clunkers-type program in order to stimulate the sales of new vehicles with the superior fuel economy standards. After all, we must help support the American automakers based on their patriotic sacrifice to support our needs as well. Between the banning of all incandescent light bulbs by 2014, improving energy efficient building construction standards, doubling the fuel efficiency standards of the American auto fleet, replacing petroleum-based consumer products, and introducing a higher fuel tax, the U.S. should be in a much better position to achieve the dream of energy independence.

The Self-Sustainable Kingdom

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In the Middle Ages, societies were organized according to a principle of self-sustainability that has filtered out of our modern culture. Although some trading of goods and supplies with other provinces and countries did occur, for the most part virtually everything was made or grown within the community. Carpenters built furniture and carriages for transporting heavy loads; blacksmiths forged metal for weapons, armor, tools, and other necessities; farmers cared for livestock and grew food locally; and bakers, masons, religious figures, seamstresses, historians, educators, musicians, actors, artists made their contributions. People knew one another as a result of living in tight-knit, interdependent communities and unless of course you were a messenger, soldier, sailor, or traveling performer, it was not normal to commute thirty miles or more every day to work.

As fuel prices are expected to continue to climb and transforming our energy needs become more challenging, we may need to return to the concept of self-sustainable communities in order to help limit vehicle transportation costs. Conglomerate chains such as Walmart may no longer exist because it will be too expensive to import foreign goods. There will probably be a rise in mom and pop stores as locally made goods become more financially feasible. However, this is barely scratching the surface and there is still much more that can and needs to be done.

The Abacoa housing development in Florida, for example, has returned to the self-sustainability concept in a unique way. It was purposely designed so that everything you might need, whether it is groceries, clothing, entertainment, or going to work, is all within walking distance. Every street and neighborhood is connected by sidewalks and all the homes are designed with the living room windows facing the street and the car garages facing the back of the home -- all for the specific purpose of connecting everyone and creating a sense of community.

Across the ocean, there is another exciting concept being promoted as "the world's first carbon-neutral, zero waste city." Abu Dhabi takes the lead in a vision I only hope we might gradually adapt for own nation's future - a nation without fossil fuels. Masdar City is a bold project within Abu Dhabi that will run almost entirely on solar power, recycle all waste, and ban all cars. Press releases claim that personal transportation pods powered by lithium batteries will replace cars and wastewater will be routed to farms. Focusing efforts on introducing large-scale environmental designs such as this in our universities and high schools would be a great challenge for our future leaders. What better way to help wean us off of petroleum and other fossil fuels than to introduce them to our children in school - much in the same way recycling was once introduced and became mainstream and common sense today?

Granted, this is much easier said than done. Everything begins with the seed of a thought, nurtured through dialogue, solidified with a plan, and hopefully, with a lot of community support, grows into fruition. In the end, it is all about survival and maintaining quality of life for everyone. It's about using the wisdom of the past, and harnessing the technology of today, in order to be prepared for the challenges of tomorrow. Perhaps the key to fulfilling the concept of energy independence might be community designs similar to Masdar City that purposely allow the opportunity for a close-knit interdependency in order to establish self-sustainability. In a perfect world, this might even eliminate homelessness for the simple reason that each individual would be responsible for serving a purpose for the greater good of the community, to the best of their ability.

Sustainable City Concepts around the World: (Sample List)

• Abacoa, Jupiter, Florida, USA - www.abacoa.com

• Älvstaden, Sweden - www.alvstranden.com

• Arcosanti, Arizona, USA - www.arcosanti.org

• Clonburris, Ireland - www.clonburris.ie

• Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT), India - www.giftgujarat.in

• Hacienda, Mombasa, Kenya - www.haciendakenya.com

• Masdar City, United Arab Emirates - www.masdar.ae

• Treasure Island, San Francisco Bay, California, USA - www.som.com/content.cfm/treasure_island_master_plan

Great Depression Mentality

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I am very fortunate that both of my parents, my grandmother, and my great grandmother are still living. My grandmother has a talent for making clothing by hand, designed simply from her own creativity or by looking at a picture of a dress in a magazine. She can also create amazing pillows and blankets that could rival anything you might find in a Bed Bath & Beyond store. My great grandmother, "Tita," regularly tends her backyard garden, which looks more like a Caribbean oasis. They grow their own banana trees, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, papaya, cilantro, sweet basil, and a variety of colorful orchids. My grandparents know which phase of the moon is the best time to plant seeds and know tricks to enhance the quality of their plants, such as recycling their used coffee grinds and mashing left-over egg shells as fertilizer. Because my grandmother and great grandmother have to survive on their social security benefits, (approximately $500 / person / month = $1,000/month) they are extremely frugal with their resources and energy usage. Despite living in the tropical heat of South Florida, their air conditioner usually remains off. Windows are open on both the front and the back of the house so that the air can circulate throughout the home, while fans are turned on only in the room they are occupying at that moment. They never use the oven (only the stove) for cooking food, wash all of their clothes by hand, turn off all the lights when watching TV at night, and take only cold showers. They own their own three-bedroom home and their electricity bill is normally $15- $30 per month as a result of the way they frugally conserve energy.

My grandparents' ability to save money on other utilities is also legendary. Aside from reusing everything from glass food jars for things like homemade Sofrito (an amazing Puerto Rican mixture of olive oil, garlic, green peppers, salt, cilantro, and some other secret ingredients to be cooked with black beans), to milk cartons used as planters for new plants in their garden, my grandparents also conserve their water. Dishes are washed in a large plastic bowl and the left-over water is used to water the plants. (They claim the soap helps the plants by killing the ants.) Whenever it rains, they capture the water that trickles down from the slanted portion of the roof in a large plastic garbage can to be used to water the plants during the drier days when we have mandatory water restrictions. I assume their mentality stems from the aftermath of the Great Depression in the 1930s. This lifestyle may seem extreme, but it works for the means on which they have to live.

Their example demonstrates that we all have the potential, including a 94-year-old woman with arthritis in all of her joints, to contribute to the reducing energy consumption and our carbon footprint - even if it is just to pass on our knowledge and wisdom to better the rest of the community.

Lessons Learned as a Teacher in China

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My grandparents' way of life is nothing compared to the living conditions I experienced while teaching English in the small coal mining town of Changxing, China in Zhejiang Province from 2003 to 2004. China's current energy shortage due to its expanding population was not seen by those watching the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, and the government makes sure that the major tourist cities sustaining foreign business are never without electricity and running water.

When I first arrived in Changxing, I attempted to try to absorb and learn all that I could in preparation for my year abroad in terms of culture, habits, and traditions that are important in order to get along and not offend the locals. It also took a few weeks for my body to adjust to the environment of my new temporary home. Though I have a fairly strong immune system, I became sick for the first two weeks. Even though the coal mines were miles away, all the locals still inhale the particles traveling in the air - as evident in the pitch black mucous membranes left on my tissue paper whenever I would blow my nose. This is why I am incredibly pessimistic whenever I see campaigns for "clean coal."

I also had to adjust to a lack of amenities that I was used to in the United States. For example, in Florida, there are certain things that are legally required for building a home or an apartment. Every home in the U.S. typically has a bathroom, electric outlets on every wall, running water (plumbing), a kitchen, air conditioning, and usually (at least) the capacity to include a washer and dryer for your clothes. This was not the case in this small town in China. Fortunately, I had an amazing employer from the U.S. who made sure these amenities (including internet access and a western-style toilet) were included in my living arrangements.

During my stay, I befriended an abandoned, eleven-year-old Chinese girl named Ding Mei. She had been begging for money in front of a McDonalds in the next city for approximately a year, yet she had never seen, much less eaten, a hamburger. I learned that she lived in an apartment with no running water, no bathroom, no air conditioning, and no kitchen. I didn't even think to ask if she had electricity. She lived with her grandmother who used to own a very small bicycle repair shop, but now begs on the street with her granddaughter. I learned that Ding Mei's mother abandoned her because she didn't want an albino child and her grandparents said the little girl had never gone to school because they were afraid the other children would make fun of her. They only had to pay 85 Yuan per month in rent ($10-$15 USD in 2004), but it was hard to imagine how they survived the extreme summers and winters without the amenities I took for granted. During the summer, not only are you instantly over-powered by the intense heat the moment you step outside, but many people (especially women) walk everywhere carrying umbrellas to shield themselves from the blistering sun. During the winter, some places would get so cold that I would see a number of people walking by with frostbite on their hands and ears. I, on the other hand, missing the tropical Florida weather, spent most of the winter nights multi-layered in thick clothing and wrapped in a thick blanket in my apartment. Talk about a cultural awakening.

In Changxing, I noticed that virtually every apartment and home in my neighborhood had solar panels on their roofs to power their water heaters. However, either the main electricity grid or the running water for everyone's home was often shut off between the hours of 8:00am-5:00pm (standard working hours). Often times, both the electricity and running water would be shut off at the same time. This was not unbearable because you eventually learned to expect this and prepared your needs accordingly. At night, the city would also shut off the street lights on one side of the street one evening, and switch to the other side of the street the following night. I'm not suggesting that we turn off everyone's access to electricity or water by any stretch, nor am I criticizing the way of life in Changxing. I am simply suggesting that an energy crisis, even for a prospering and developed country such as our own, is an absolute potential reality. God knows we have major challenges with poverty, pollution, and energy in our own country. This is simply a personal reflection and example of why we need to make major necessary changes to our energy and petroleum consumption habits while it is still feasible, so that the country is not sent into nation-wide panic during the next oil crisis.

How Brer Rabbit Outsmarted the Hungry Brer Fox

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Before I complete this book, I thought that you might be interested to know how Brer Rabbit finally outsmarted the hungry Brer Fox.

Once Brer Fox caught Brer Rabbit, it wasn't enough that he finally outsmarted his opponent. Brer Rabbit had been taking advantage and making a fool of Brer Fox for many years. This time, it was Brer Fox's turn to savor every moment of his enemy's defeat by carefully choosing how to finish Brer Rabbit - that is, before he made a fine southern Bar-B-Q out of him.

As Brer Fox thought to himself, Brer Rabbit said in a humble voice, "I don't care what you do to me, Brer Fox, as long as you don't throw me in the briar patch over yonder."

"It'd be too much trouble to work up a good log fire," says Brer Fox. "I suppose I'll have to hang ya."

"String me up as high as high as you like, Brer Fox," pleaded Brer Rabbit, "but for mercy's sake, don't toss me in that thar briar patch."

"Just remembered I don't have any string," says Brer Fox. "Maybe I'll just drown you."

"You can tie me to a big rock and drown me just as deep as you like," cried Brer Rabbit, "but whatever you do, please don't throw me into that briar patch with all them sharp thorns."

"There ain't no water nearby, com-ta think of it," says Brer Fox. "Now I suppose I'm gonna hafta skin ya."

"Skin me as clean as you like," says Brer Rabbit. "Chop me up into itty bitty, bite-size pieces and serve me up in a big gumbo stew," begs Brer Rabbit, "but please, OH PLEASE, don't toss me that thar briar patch!"

Of course, Brer Fox was determined to do the absolute worst thing he could think of to Brer Rabbit, so he swooped him up and slung him into the middle of the thorny briar patch. There was great crash of dried twigs where Brer Rabbit landed. Brer Rabbit yelled and hollered in complete agony as he lay under the briar patch. Brer Fox was giddy with happiness as he hung around to see what was happening. Suddenly, a great big "ha, ha, ha" and "hee, hee, hee" came from the briar patch so loud that other folks came out to see what was happening.

Brer Rabbit shouted out, "I was born and raised in the briar patch, Brer Fox - born and raised in the briar patch! There's no other place that I love best!" And with a wink of his eye and a salute of his hand, Brer Rabbit skipped off as happy as a tree frog in a forest.

As smart and powerful as Brer Fox was, he underestimated the creative ingenuity of Brer Rabbit. Although Brer Fox was powerful and clever enough to capture the rabbit, he did not fully understand the potential of his opponent. Brer Rabbit used a clever resource from his home to protect him from danger, much in the same way that we may be able to use natural resources from home to protect us from the danger of a fuel and energy crisis. If we are to survive the approaching energy challenges politically, environmentally, and economically, we need to act in anticipation of these events, rather than in reaction to them. As with any situation in life, handling a problem while it is still small may not always be as noticeable or appreciated, but it is always easier and more effective than responding after a crisis actually strikes. Just like a responsible parent should not wait until their child has pneumonia or diabetes before they consider providing a healthy diet and lifestyle for their family, our government should not wait until it is too late to protect the health and well-being of our nation.

" _One of the most difficult things is not to change society - but to change yourself."_

\- Nelson Mandela, South African President, Social and Political Activist

We Can Not Wait for the Government or Corporate America

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My hope is that you will look into this matter yourselves and open a public dialogue and further investigate the truth. History has convinced me that, as a global community, we cannot afford to wait for governments and major corporations to convince everyone that positive change for the people is coming soon. Instead, I am reminded of President Obama's humble reaction when it was first announced that he would receive the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009. He responded by saying that he didn't feel that he deserved to be in the company of transformative figures who have been honored by this prize. In short, he decided to view and accept the award as a call to action, "a call for all nations and all peoples to confront the common challenges of the 21st century."

Quite honestly, I don't know what kind of impact a single inquisitive person can have in the world. However, I feel that presenting this information to you is my own small contribution.

I thank you for taking the time to read my letter/book. My hope is that you will help bring these findings to light, initiate diligent investigations on your own into the auto industry, open public dialogue on this effort, and insist on immediate and dramatic improvements in fuel economy standards in order to protect national security, our quality of life, and the environment.

Warm regards,

Luis Aponte

Further Reading

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1. Asia's Energy Future: Regional Dynamics and Global Implications by Kang Wu and Fereidun Fesharaki, with assistance from Sidney B. Westley

2. Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert's Peak by Kenneth S. Deffeyes

3. Biodiesel Basics and Beyond: A Comprehensive Guide to Production and Use for the Home and Farm by William H. Kemp

4. Do It Yourself Guide to Biodiesel: Your Alternative Fuel Solution for Saving Money, Reducing Oil Dependency, and Helping the Planet by Guy Purcella

5. Energy Alternatives (Opposing Viewpoints) by Barbara Passero

6. From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank: The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel by Joshua Tickell

7. Green Algae Strategy: End Oil Imports And Engineer Sustainable Food And Fuel (Volume 1) by Mark Edwards

8. Hemp and Marijuana: Myths & Realities \- www.votehemp.com/PDF/myths_facts.pdf

9. Hemp: American History Revisited by Robert Deitch

10. Hubbert's Peak: The Impending World Oil Shortage by Kenneth Deffeyes

11. International Issues in Energy Policy, Development, and Economics by James P. Dorian and Fereidun Fesharaki

12. Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 - Act of Aug. 2, 1937, Public 238, 75th Congress

13. Oil and the Future of Energy: Climate Repair * Hydrogen * Nuclear Fuel * Renewable and Green Sources * Energy Efficiency by The Editors of Scientific American Magazine

14. Out of Gas: The End of the Age Of Oil by David Goodstein

15. Power Trip : A Journey Through America's Energy Past, Present, and Future by Amanda Griscom Little

16. Run Your Diesel Vehicle on Biofuels by Gavin D. J. Harper and Jon Starbuck

17. Secrets of the 200 mpg carburetor: A technical expose of the world's auto makers by Allan Wallace

18. Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius by Gavin D. J. Harper

19. SVO: Powering Your Vehicle With Straight Vegetable Oil by Forest Gregg

20. The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World by Paul Roberts

21. The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century by James Howard Kunstler

22. The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies by Richard Heinberg

23. The Secret History of the American Empire: Economic Hit Men, Jackals and the Truth About Global Corruption by John Perkins

24. University of Florida: Sunn Hemp - A Cover Crop in Florida - http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/TR/TR00300.pdf

25. World Made by Hand: A Novel by James Howard Kunstler

Organizations / Individual Websites

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1. Central Intelligence Agency Factbook - www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook

2. Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea - www.korea-dpr.com

3. East-West Center (Hawaii) - www.eastwestcenter.org

4. Environmental Protection Agency - www.epa.gov

5. FactCheck.org: A Project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center - www.FactCheck.org

6. Google Patents - www.google.com/patents

7. Guinness World Records - www.guinnessworldrecords.com

8. How Stuff Works - www.howstuffworks.com

9. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - www.ahmadinejad.ir

10. NASA - www.nasa.gov

11. National Hurricane Center - www.nhc.noaa.gov

12. OpenSecrets.org: Center for Responsive Politics - www.opensecrets.org

13. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) - www.opec.org

14. Progressive Automotive X-Prize - www.progressiveautoxprize.org

15. Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan - www.queenrania.jo

16. U.S. Air Force Freedom of Information Act - www.foia.af.mil

17. U.S. Army Freedom of Information Act - www.foia.army.mil

18. U.S. Department of Energy - www.energy.gov

19. U.S. Marines Freedom of Information Act \- http://www.lejeune.usmc.mil/mcb/FOIA%20request.pdf

20. U.S. Navy Freedom of Information Act - www.foia.navy.mil

21. U.S. Patent Office - www.uspto.gov

22. U.S. President Barack Obama - www.barackobama.com

23. U.S. White House - www.whitehouse.gov

24. United Nations - www.un.org

25. Vapor Systems Technology: Home of the 100 MPG Technology - www.fuelvapors.com

26. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez - www.presidencia.gob.ve

Present 100+ MPG or MPGe (Energy Equivalent) Vehicles: (Sample list)

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*A portion of this list includes the qualifying teams entered in the Progressive Automotive X-Prize Competition in 2009.

*NOTE: Contrary to popular belief, many of these cars are incredibly fast!

1. 2SSIC-65, Electric (USA), 100 MPGe - www.ssiracing.com

2. Alias, Electric (USA), 100+ MPGe - www.zapworld.com

3. AMP'd Sky, Electric (USA), 115 MPGe - www.ampmotorworks.com

4. Aptera, Electric/Electric Hybrid (USA), 300+- MPGe - www.aptera.com

5. Avion, Gasoline (USA), 100+- MPG - www.100mpgplus.com

6. Axon hatchback, PHEV (United Kingdom), 100 MPG - www.axonautomotive.com

7. BD1, Diesel /Electric Grid (USA) - www.BDCOTSRUS.com

8. BITW Technologies, Bio-Diesel (USA), 100 MPGe - www.bitwtech.com

9. Chevy Volt, PHEV (USA), 230+- MPGe - www.gm-volt.com

10 .CTS, Series Electric Gasoline Hybrid (USA), 100 MPGe - ww.combined-ts.com

11. E-4 Coupe, Battery Electric (UK), 100MPGe - www.delta-motorsport.com

12. Electric-RaceAbout, Electric (Finland), 100+ MPGe - www.raceabout.fi/era

13. Eltra. Hybrid Electric, (USA), 120 - 140 MPGe - www.eltratech.com

14. EnerMotion XP100™, Electric & Biodiesel (Canada), 100 MPGe - www.enermotion.ca

15. Evaro, Electric & Gasoline (Canada), 165 - 275 MPGe - www.futurevehicletechnologies.com

16. EVXb, Electric/Biobutanol (USA), 130+- MPGe - www.evxteam.org

17. Fisker Karma, PHEV (Finland), 100+- MPG \- www.fiskerautomotive.com

18. Ford Five Hundred, Electric, Diesel & Hydrogen (USA), 100 MPGe - www.hydrophi.com

19. Gomecsys 1 & 2, Gasoline (Netherlands), 100 MPGe - www.gomecsys.com

20. Hummer H3 E-REV, PHEV (USA), 100+- MPGe \- rasertech.com/hummer

21. IDEA, Plug-In Hybrid (USA), 100+- MPG - www.brightautomotive.com

22. Indica Vista EV-X, Electric (Great Britain / India), 100 MPGe - www.tatamotors.com

23. Loremo LS, Diesel (Germany), 120+- MPG - www.loremo.com

24. Mitsubishi PX-MiEV, Plug-In Hybrid (Japan), 118 MPGe -

25. Nissan Leaf, Electric (Japan), 150 - 367+- MPGe - http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/#/car/index

26. Pulse & G1, Electric & Electric/Gasoline (USA), 100 - 120 MPGe - www.TeamGlobal-E.com

27. Redshift, Diesel-Electric (USA), 100+ MPGe - www.cornell100mpg.com

28. SABA "Carbon Zero" Roadster, Plug In Electric Battery (USA), 156-180 MPGe - sabamotors.com

29. Salamander, Electric (Hong Kong & Taiwan), 100 MPGe - www.salamanderian.com

30. Seven, Electric (USA), 100+ MPGe - www.illuminatimotorworks.com

31. SGT01, Gasoline (USA), 100 MPG - www.wikispeed.com

32. SMART EVX, Electric (USA), 100+ MPGe - www.evxlabs.com

33. SPHEV-1, Gas / Electric (USA & China), 100 MPGe - www.enginer.org

34. Spira4u, Gasoline (Thailand), 100+ MPG - www.Spira4u.com

35. Surge, Electric (Canada), 150+ MPGe - www.optamotive.com

36. Tango, Battery Electric (USA), 100+- MPGe - www.commutercars.com

37. Tesla Roadster, Electric (USA), 250+- MPGe - www.teslamotors.com

38. TTW One, CNG & Electricity (Italy), 100 MPGe - www.ttwvehicles.com

39. TW4XP, Electricity, human power (Germany), 100 MPGe - www.tw4xp.com

40. ULV-3, Bio-Diesel/Ethanol/Electric (USA), 100 MPGe - www.ulv-3.com

41. Urbee, Solar-Electric, Bio-Ethanol (Canada), 110-250+- MPGe - www.urbee.net

42. VE1, Electric (Canada), 100 MPGe - www.veperformance.ca

43. Viking 45, Gasoline, Electricity, Biomethane/CNG (USA), 100 MPGe - vri.etec.wwu.edu

44. VW One Liter, diesel hybrid (Germany), 285+- MPG - http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/volkswagen-world/futures/1-litre-car

45. Wave 2, Electric (USA), 100 MPGe - www.hybridtechnologies.com

46. XR3, Hybrid (USA), 125 - 225 MPG - www.rqriley.com/xr3.htm

47. ZAMS, Electric & Gasoline/Hydrogen Hybrid (USA), 100+- MPGe - www.americanhypower.com

*LEGEND: (+- MPG) indicates that mpg potential is often based upon how many miles a person drives per day. In most cases, the greatest mpg potential is typically achieved if a person drives an average of approximately 40 miles per day or less.

These figures appear to be based on statistics that show that 78% of Americans drive 40 miles or less each day.

Hopefully, as battery technology improves, so will the average driving range of hybrids and fully electric vehicles.

**U.S. Patents Owned by Auto a** **nd Oil Companies**

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As highlighted in this book, there are U.S. patents going back as far as the 1920s and 1930s demonstrating methods to significantly improve fuel efficiency. Some of these methods include reforming and/or heating fuel so that the engine may run on fuel vapors. Many, if not most, of these innovations are not being utilized in today's vehicles.

Featured below is a sample patent list of these types of inventions owned by the auto and oil industries. The "Abstract" and "Background of the Invention" sections at the beginning of each patent explain each inventor's unique approach to achieving fuel vaporization, atomization, and/or reforming fuel. If nothing else, it begs the questions why the auto industry would own patents that would substantially improve their product and not use them and what interests does the oil industry have in owning patents that improve automobile fuel efficiency that are never released to the mainstream market?

Oil Company Patents:

Shell Oil Company

• 3763838 - Carburetor Having a Heat Pipe for Vaporizing Fuel

• 3935849 - Fuel vaporizing device for an internal combustion engine or gas turbine

• 3939813 - Liquid fuel vaporizing device for internal combustion engines

• 3957024 - Device for vaporizing liquid fuel

• 3987773 - Liquid fuel vaporizing device for internal combustion engines

Philips Petroleum Company

• 3717129 - Method and Apparatus for Reducing Engine Exhaust Pollutants

• 4003343 - Method and apparatus for maintaining the operating temperature in a device for reducing engine exhaust pollutants

Mobil Oil Corporation

• 3855980 - Fuel Systems for Engines

• 4046522 - Pre-engine converter for use with fuels containing oxygenated compounds

• 4070993 - Pre-engine converter

• 4862836 - Operation of an internal combustion engine with a pre-engine converter

• 4884531 - Operation of an internal combustion engine with a pre-engine reformer

Conoco Inc.

• 4407238 - Methanol dissociation using a copper-chromium-manganese catalyst

• 4418653 - Alcohol fuel dual-catalyst treatment apparatus and method

Car Maker Patents:

Audi

• 4009701 - Internal combustion engine having provisions for heating the fuel-air mixture by means of the exhaust

• 4095575 - Internal combustion engine

Fiat

• 4194476 - Device for feeding Otto cycle engines with lean combustible mixtures

General Motors

• 3963012 - Engine with vapor heat transfer capsule for intake mixture heating

• 3977378 - Self-controlled vapor heat capsule for engine intake mixture heating

• 4458655 - Fuel injection nozzle with heated valve

Isuzu

• 4587941 - Intake burner

• 4684341 - Fuel vaporization apparatus for combustor

Mitsubishi

• 5284117 - Fuel supply apparatus for an internal combustion engine

• 5297531 - Fuel supplying device for internal combustion gasoline engine

• 5666804 - Secondary air supplying apparatus for internal combustion engine and air heating apparatus thereof

• 5896847 - Liquefied fuel vaporizing apparatus and gas engine provided with the same

Toyota

• 3978836 - Suction heat control unit in internal combustion engine

• 4023539 - Fuel-reforming device for internal combustion engines

• 4027639 - Isothermal fuel supply system

• 4062334 - Fuel system of internal combustion engine

• 4105004 - Ultrasonic wave fuel injection and supply device

• 4106459 - Ultrasonic wave carburetor

• 4125090 - Control method and system for car-mounted fuel reformer

• 4140094 - Vaporization accelerating apparatus for an internal combustion engine

• 4177778 - Carburetors with heating device

• 4181111 - Method for feeding a fuel and a fuel feed device for use in an internal combustion engine

• 4205646 - Heat control valve

• 4237836 - Fuel supply system employing ultrasonic vibratory member of hollow cylindrically shaped body

• 4313413 - Fuel vaporization promoting device for an internal combustion engine

• 4366798 - Fuel mixture heating device of an internal combustion engine

• 4377148 - Fuel mixture heating device of an internal combustion engine

• 4378001 - Fuel injection type carburetor

• 4390000 - Air-fuel mixture heating device for internal combustion engine

• 4395993 - Fuel mixture heating device of an internal combustion engine

• 4395994 - Fuel mixture heating device of an internal combustion engine

• 4398522 - Intake heating device of an internal combustion engine

• 4399796 - Intake heating device of an internal combustion engine

• 4407254 - Intake heating apparatus of an internal combustion engine

• 4416242 - Intake heating apparatus of an internal combustion engine

• 4483304 - Fuel vaporizer for internal combustion engines

• 5218943 - Fuel injection apparatus for internal combustion engine

• 6044831 - Fuel vapor feed controlling apparatus for lean burn type internal combustion engine

• 6390030 - Fuel reformer for mounting on a vehicle

• 6586125 - Combustion heating device, fuel reforming apparatus including combustion heating device, fuel cell system

• 6692707 - Hydrocarbon fuel reformer

Daimler Benz (MB/Chrysler)

• 4126111 - Otto internal combustion engine

• 4186704 - Installation for the preheating of the suction mixture of a carburetor internal combustion engine by means of the exhaust gases thereof

• 4186705 - Installation for the preheating of the suction mixture of a carburetor internal combustion engine

• 4303050 - Heated flow director

• 4388911 - Apparatus for producing a defined fuel vapor-air mixture for gasoline internal combustion engines

• 4553520 - Device for the generation of a defined fuel vapor/air mixture

• 4554902 - Fuel conditioning device

• 4870932 - Fuel injection heating system

• 5007402 - Intake system for a mixture-compressing internal-combustion engine

• 5140967 - Evaporation element in an internal-combustion engine cylinder head

• 5152272 - Cylinder head with an evaporation element in an air-intake channel

• 5154154 - Intake device for a mixture-compressing internal-combustion engine

• 5179927 - Injection-type combustion engine with electric spark ignition and a heating system

• 5924411 - Method for operating an internal combustion engine, and an internal combustion engine

• 6067969 - Fuel supply system for an internal combustion engine

• 6732721 - Injection valve

Ford

• 4008699 - Extended throttle bore multi-stage carburetor

• 4047512 - Electric fuel vaporizer

• 4094275 - Vaporized liquid fuel delivery and metering system

• 4099499 - Vapor temperature controlled exhaust gas heat exchanger

• 4161931 - Vapor temperature controlled exhaust gas heat exchanger

• 4499863 - Method of operating an internal combustion engine on a methanol fuel

• 5331937 - Charge inlet system for internal combustion engine

• 5727384 - Engine management system

• 5813388 - Heated assembly for vaporization of fuel in an internal combustion engine

• 6067971 - Heated assembly for vaporization of fuel in an internal combustion engine

• 6295973 - Air-fuel charge controller for a homogeneous-charge, compression-ignition engine

Honda

• 4083339 - Apparatus for heating intake mixture from exhaust gases of internal combustion engine

• 4756294 - Air-fuel mixture heating device for use with engines

• 5213082 - Fuel injection control system for internal combustion engine

• 6217008 - Diaphragm-type carburetor

Jaguar

• 4735186 - Internal combustion engine and a method of operating the engine

Nissan

• 3963000 - System for reforming engine fuel into hydrogen gas-containing mixture by catalytic reaction

• 4056086 - Method of accelerating evaporation of fuel in internal combustion engine intake system by heat evolved by decomposition of H2O2 and apparatus for same

• 4059076 - Method and apparatus for generating reformed gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide from hydrocarbon fuel

• 4079703 - Internal combustion engine operated on injected fuel supplemented with hydrogen

• 4079714 - Air-fuel mixture supply device of internal combustion engine

• 4133327 - Fuel vaporizing heat exchanger for an internal combustion engine

• 4181100 - Internal combustion engine operated on injected fuel supplemented with hydrogen

• 4212275 - Carburetor

• 4355622 - Air/fuel mixture heating device for internal combustion engine

• 5297530 - Heating device for injected fuel for internal combustion engine

• 6526950 - Fuel vapor treatment system

Volkswagen

• 3989020 - Mixture-drawing internal combustion engine

• 4155338 - Valved apparatus for diverting an exhaust stream

• 4155339 - Apparatus for diverting an exhaust stream

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### About the Author:

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Luis Aponte is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and United States Air Force veteran who was stationed at a classified location, where he caused an entire helicopter squadron of 200 soldiers to evacuate a building by burning a Pop Tart in a broken toaster. While teaching English in a small coal mining town in China, Mr. Aponte made lifelong friends and also noticed that his apartment phone was tapped with primitive technology, his mail blatantly searched and his photograph taken by Chinese police officers while outside in public with a disposable 35 mm camera -- as if he didn't notice. Mr. Aponte also served as the Historian for both Golden Key International Honors Society at Florida Atlantic University and Phi Theta Kappa International Honors Society at Broward College because he was the only one that volunteered for the job. Currently, Luis maintains a social networking website that encourages you to share ideas of how we can reduce our dependence on petroleum at www.DeathofaGasGuzzler.com. He's still waiting for others to contribute their thoughts... Still waiting.

Connect with me online:

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