GoodFuels

Flex Fuel Fighting

Author Robert Zubrin has a simple idea for winning the war on terror. Make every car sold in the country flex-fuel.

During his address at the 2008 Fuel Ethanol Workshop, Zubrin made his point by using the analogy of a card game where there is a trump suit that defeats all others and the strategy is for your side to hold most the cards in that trump suit. “It’s the same way in energy,” Zubrin said. “There’s four suits, there’s oil, coal, natural gas and biomass. And right now oil is the trump suit.”

That’s because right now there is mainly one way to power vehicles and that is petroleum products. Zubrin says the key is to change that trump suit and biomass is the best alternative - and the best way to change the suit is by mandating flex-fuel vehicles to give consumers a real choice at the pump. This is essentially the way that Brazil has gone about its transition to an ethanol-fueled economy.

Zubrin’s idea, which is outlined in his book “Energy Victory,” has been gaining some traction and is certainly getting lots of publicity. He is in high demand as a speaker and was selling books by the carton at the FEW. This Saturday, June 28, he will be featured on CSPAN-2’s Book TV.

If you have never heard this guy talk, take 45 minutes and listen to his talk from FEW. It makes so much sense, it’s scary.

The only problem with this idea is that it may be too simple. But, if Congress does ultimately embrace it, I’m sure they will find a way to complicate it.