Dear Senator Obama,
My Policy concerning this critical area matches yours accept in one important area, biofuels. We need to honestly assess and correct the misinformation and hype associated with Biofuels. I strongly believe in "Green Energy" concepts including the use of alternative forms of energy (solar, wind, geothermal, EVs, etc.) and energy conservation, but the "promise" of biofuels (Ethanol and Biodiesel) is false. The Biofuel Scam must be shut down so we can focus on viable alternatives.
I am an electrical engineer with degrees in engineering and biology and a strong background in chemistry and physics. All scientific and and economic information I have waded through indicates that biofuels are expensive to produce (require government subsidies), increase rather than decrease atmospheric CO2, increase the cost of food in the 3rd world, and can not significantly reduce our dependency on foreign oil. The thermodynamics, chemistry and economics of biofuel production make it a poor choice as a replacement for gasoline and diesel.
More critically, I am deeply disturbed with how all the political campaigns (including ours) promise to eliminate our dependence on foreign energy (oil and gas). This, to me, is a massive delusion of the American electorate using their fear of escalating energy costs and dependency on OPEC to get votes. As Robert Bryce intelligently illustrates in his book, 'Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of "Energy Independence"', the US and the world are energy interdependent and have foreign dependencies for many other critical commodities. We need to accept the fact that we are interdependent with the rest of the world and stop harping about energy independence.
Energy is traded on a global marketplace and no matter how effective we are in moving away from fossil fuel usage we will continue to remain dependent on foreign oil and gas for decades. We need to move forward on "real" solutions and avoid spending on money and resources on dead-end ideas like biofuels. Please read Robert Bryce's book and take the politically difficult position using knowledge rather than fear to determine our future national energy policy.
Respectfully yours,
Richard Gibbs
Libertyville, IL
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