[extropy-chat] FWD [U-Tapao] Re: IS IT TIME TO RATION FUEL?

[Mike Lorrey]

--- spike <spike66 at comcast.net> wrote:

> > bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of BillK
> 
> ...
> > 
> > In Europe the gas price at the pumps is still around 2.5 times
> higher
> > than US. So I would think the US has a long way to go before panic
> > measures should be sought.
> ...
> > 
> > Fairly trivial lifestyle changes will easily enable the US to cope
> > with higher gas prices for many years yet.
> > 
> > BillK
> 
> So true!  Don't be afraid to look at it closely.  Imagine
> the highest price you can imagine gasoline equivalents:
> corn producing alcohol at 8 bucks a gallon for instance.
> 
> How would your life be different?
> 
> The dark side might not be as dark as you imagined.

Quite true. The inflation adjusted all time high price of gasoline was
$3.11 in 1979. That time was, however a time when gas was being
rationed. Carters stupendously stupid policies at that time were a
primary contributor to those historic highs, over and above the iranian
oil embargo.

Today the problem is refining. Most oil in the world is sour crude.
Most refineries in the US can only refine sweet crude, and no
refineries have been built in the US in over 20 years. While the price
of sweet crude (what you see in the news) is over $60/bbl, the price of
sour crude is in the low $30's.

Another solution would be to use nanotech to refine the athabascan tar
sands of Alberta. A technique for this I'm thinking of would be nanites
that take sulphur out of the tar and deposit it in crystalline form on
the surfaces of the grains of sand, slowly building the grains into
larger sulphur nuggets. The nanites would catalyse the thicker, less
useful constituents of the oil for energy, leaving a light sweet crude
as the output.

Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
Founder, Constitution Park Foundation:
http://constitutionpark.blogspot.com
Personal/political blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com

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