For the life of me, I cannot understand why we don't (as a nation) embrace this technology!

Lets don't do away with our love of the internal combustion engine...... Instead lets embrace it as a way to solve several problems at once! THAT is the truly American way!

Well, people have begun to accept hybrids. That's not a solution, true enough, but a step in the right direction as far as our mentality is concerned. Right now, the current administration seems to be owned by special interests and lobbies. Big oil is raking in record billions of quarterly profits. They are not going to let go of that kind of loot for something as silly and mundane as quality of life, dependence on Arab oil, the future of our children, or our economy that is going down the toilet. New ideas are going to be hindered by special interests.

If I could afford a hybrid I'd buy one.  Not that I believe it's all that much better but I'd give it a shot.  Whose bright idea was it to build them and put them out of reach for the average person?

I installed solar panels in December.  Maybe a small step.

Cool and thought provoking links, Chico! Thanks for the great info. The gripe you refer to about the oilcos stems from the lack of major funding for people like this to fully develop alternatives and offer real innovation/competition in the market place. VAT (value added taxation) on usage of certain services or products can provide the dollars to feed ideas like these and allow for new start ups not dominated by entrenched interests who treat competition like a doomsday plague. 

You know Adam, up to this point I would have totally eschewed your suggestion of a VAT (I was a collector of VAT as a retailer for several years) but I do not anymore.

The way CA taxes oil properties currently they are valued on a future production stream based upon FV of FMV of future proven recoverable reserves and production stream therefrom. Of course the oil cos. are the ones the Assessor has to primarily rely on for the proven recoverable reserves in the first place (reservoir engineers). Do you think they might have a vested interest in the under reporting of the recoverability (even with enhanced recovery methods, etc.)? Of course.

While VAT taxes the products all the way up the chain (production to final sale with all Value Added taxed thus the derivation of the nomenclature), even an enhanced Ad Val tax on production would be a way that Prop 13 limited oil props could be added to the County AV only colection modalities thus enhancing their coffers for additional Public Protection, Roads, etc. Uh....Oh..... now I sound like a Dem [gasp]

Another idea I have is for the oil cos. to pick up the consumer portion of the per gallon tax (currently about 45.5 cents/gal in CA.with a caveat to keep the price from just being raised (not just at pump but transfer pricing as well) to provide a County Funding Strategic Reserve of monies for Fire, Police Protection, and Roads, and perhaps most importantly -- local CO2 enhanced Algae Technologies in conjunction with enhanced CO2 injection recovery systems for tertiary heavy oil production. Good for Midway-Sunset and Kern River field's ongoing production and good for the environment. NO?

What do you think?    (am I sounding like a Dem now? OUCH! -- haha!)

(I'm gonna be ex-communicated from the Conservative Society -- or as Random would call it -- CS!)

I really think that there is a rational middle ground here between a tax everything that produces Dem controlled CA legislature and a no increased taxation ethic espoused by corporate interests -- with technologies like Algae, etc. we can perhaps even produce our way out of this current debacle........

koztarr, you know of course the journey of a thousand miles starts with that first little step.

Kudos to you!

Hybrids too Nancy, although I am less enamored with that entire concept than some others. Have you seen what it costs to replace one of their batteries BTW? Talk about cost prohibitive!

If we stay with combustion engines, Chico is right.  Algae produces a crazy amount of oil per acre farmed.  I think the best option now is to go with diesel hybrids and research the hell out of algae.

truth --  for those of us in love with the internal combustion engine, infrastructure predalictive punctillio's aside, anything that produces prodigious amounts of even perfunctory petrol have an inherent avuncular attractiveness.......

GM had a great electric car in 1996  that was scrapped by the Petroleum companies, it was pre marketed in Calif and did not have 1 complaint from any owner, it was a big covered up scandal, watch the film

http://www.sonyclassics.com...

Who Killed the Electric Car?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Maggie-

I agree that was a great car.  I don't think there is one technology that will get us away from imported oil.  It is going to take multiple fresh ideas to go to that level.  Burning oil made from algae does have its downsides, however I feel the security our country gains from not having to do business with a region that hates us overpowers the downside.  Right now everything we can do to get away from imported oil the better.

I like your comments, Chico! Hopefully, policy makers will take some of these suggestions to heart and begin to work with one another on real solutions instead of divisive political jockeying that only rewards party hacks on both sides of the aisle. Once again, thanks for the terrific links and your insights!

Wow~ thanks chico...this looks way cool! BTW ,that man was way to nice to teach me salty language...lol unless it was to say "salt". naturally I know some of those words already...great links,lots to study here,seems like a solid idea.

Regulate and increase oil industry taxation?

Heavens!

What are you thinking, Chico?

You could be assassinated for such a liberal thought.

Well Saber, we all have our moments. Tulare and Kern (as well as myriad other CA Counties) are facing some tough times, whether they are too stupid or weak to face up to it right now.

Ad Val (ala Tejas) taxes on current oil production is one way to get current pricing blips into County coffers (vs. relying on Prop 13 restricted AV alone) for things that count.

Things like LE, Fire,  Roads, and yes -- mandated enhanced tertiary heavy oil recovery and recovered CO2 fired (from injector wells as is now being done in other State's fields) Algae production.........

So sue me  ;=)

(I was referred to as a conservative enviro-whacko Nazi on another board BTW) -- so assassination is reasonably tame)

GM had a great electric car in 1996  that was scrapped by the Petroleum companies, it was pre marketed in Calif and did not have 1 complaint from any owner, it was a big covered up scandal

You (another shocker) miss the point entirely in your quest to show conspiracies around every gas pump.

The point is infrastructure already in place and the internal combustion (I prefer diesel for many reasons) engine!

Electric cars are not, repeat not, $=>BTU=>HP cost effective (and never will be when infrastructure costs are factored in on a discounted basis).

Hybrids only marginally so. Diesel will be king. Agae originated bio-fuels will be the key to cost effectiveness.......