by Dan B
Driving less and conserving gasoline is wishful thinking, and finding a new source of energy for our transportation is science fiction at this time in history. We are stuck with petroleum-based technology for at least the next 100 years. However, there is a source of petroleum right here in the US that would solve our energy needs, get us off dependence upon our enemies in the world market, and not require drilling new oil wells.
In this country, we have known coal reserves that would last for the next 200 years and provide all the petroleum we need. Synthetic oil can be made from coal, and it can be done in a controlled, safe, non-polluting, environmentally sound, manner. We already have the technology and the coal. It is much more efficient than converting corn or cooking grease into ethanol. The only reason it has not been used already is that crude oil has been historically cheap, although that did change in the past couple of years. Now, it has gone down again, but it will go back up.
We can avoid these price changes by going to our coal. Maybe the only thing stopping us are obsolete memories of coal miners with sooty faces and black clouds rising above smoking towers. But the technology has changed all that. Have faith in science, real science, not scary movies.