Iola High
School
Iola, Kansas
Teacher: Loretta Arnold
Alternative
Fuels: Act Now
By
Brandy Groff
12th Grade
Life without vehicles is hard to imagine. Thinking of the number of times I drive my truck each day, makes me cringe when I see the latest gas prices. Oi! How expensive simple travel in town is! Not only is driving damaging to our pockets, it is also damaging to the environment. With millions of cars producing hazardous emissions into the air every second, global warming has become a very serious issue that the world needs to control immediately! What is the first step? Switch from gasoline to ethanol!
That is right! Ethanol, unlike gasoline, can be produced from agricultural waste such as cornstalks, grasses, and tree bark. Ethanol cuts global warming emissions by eighty percent and is much cheaper than gasoline. For several decades Brazil has been using this alternative fuel – and mind you, they love it! Why is America, the booming and wealthy economic king of the world, so far behind? Today a wide range of people, including environmentalists and politicians, are pushing for the switch from gasoline to ethanol. Using ethanol is not a new concept; it has been in use ever since Henry Ford’s Model T, but recently the cheaper distilling costs and advantages of ethanol over other fuel sources is outstanding and grabbing our attention.
Dependency on foreign oils is being questioned by all of the major business moguls. Now is not a good time to rely on Middle Eastern countries in the heat of serious battles and instability among their governments. Simply converting our fuel to ethanol would save $69 billion dollars in foreign trade. Replacing gasoline with ethanol at every service station is by no means cost-friendly, but many of today’s gas stations have, or are capable of having—with little difficulty—a mixture of eighty-five percent ethanol and fifteen percent gasoline, known as E-85. If everyone switched from using ninety-seven to ninety-nine percent gasoline to using only fifteen percent gasoline, imagine the impact that would have on our economy. Would that mean we would need to turn every spare acre of land into a productive fuel-crop? According to Vinod Khosla, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, we would be able to maintain our current agricultural and food consumption levels and still switch to using ethanol successfully.
Well, what is America doing about it then? On August 8, 2005, President Bush signed into law the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The EPAct of 2005 states that the government will take the necessary steps to diversify fuel supply and employ new technologies. Not only would we be changing what we put in our tanks everyday, we will be saving money, watching jobs open up, reduce our foreign dependency, and probably switch vehicles or engines to those that are flex-fuel compatible.
In reality, the transformation will take several years; there is nothing easy about changing millions of people’s everyday habits and transforming vehicles, engines, service stations, and anything else gas-operated, to a new fuel. But the benefits are so great. With this Energy Policy Act, the government gives consumers and businesses tax credits if they purchase alternative-fuel or hybrid vehicles, cut down their energy and power consumption by half, manufacture highly energy-efficient appliances, or build energy efficient homes that would use half the energy as before. [There are] numerous other benefits. The bill will also create a program to deploy clean coal technologies and another program to work with labs, universities, and auto manufacturers in designing hydrogen cars.
Recently, President Bush explained his plan in his State of the Union address. He plans to allot $281 million into the establishment and encouragement of clean coal technologies. The issue of oil prices has been a major concern of Americans for quite some time, and President Bush knows that. Bush has divided the money into areas such as: the FutureGen Initiative—a fifty-four million dollar project working to create an emissions-free coal plant; Solar American Initiative—a one hundred forty-eight million dollar project working to convert direct sunlight to energy; and wind energy research—a forty-four million dollar project working to find ways wind can benefit our economy. He is four years ahead of his ten year plan of creating clean coal technologies and bettering the economy that we all live in. Only time will tell if America can change the problems it has come to know over the past decades.
Based off on everything I have read [about] the Energy Act, it is a very worthwhile policy. The Energy Policy Act is a needed benefit for our country. Americans need to change the way we use our non-renewable resources and energy. Our ineffectiveness and delayed choices are endangering the world that we share with every other country; we cannot be selfish any longer. We must act, and this Act is the first step.
Resources:
http://www.eei.org/industry_issues/electricity_policy/federal_legislation/index.htm(Rating: 3- Somewhat informative--a heavy pro reform bias)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/01/20060131-6.html (Rating: 3-somewhat informative--a moderate pro reform bias)
Answers to the Required Reading Questions
Q1- Gassahol is a byproduct exclusively from _________ and _________ whereas cellulosic ethanol can be produced from agricultural waste such as ___________, ___________ and ____________.
Gasohol is a byproduct exclusively from ethanol and gasoline whereas cellulosic ethanol can be produced from agricultural waste such as cornstalks, grasses, and tree bark.
Q2- Why did auto makers produce cars that could operate using ethanol as well as gasoline before there was an adequate number of service stations that could provide ethanol?
Auto makers produced cars that could operate using ethanol as well as gasoline before there were an adequate number of service stations that could provide ethanol because gasoline was expensive and people needed a cheaper means of transportation.
Q3- When were the first cars produced that were capable of using ethanol?
The first cars capable of using ethanol were produced when the Model T came out.
Q4- In a paragraph, describe Brazil’s experience with ethanol. What did the Fortune article claim was Brazil’s key to success?
Brazil’s key to success was having good soil for producing crops and citizens who wanted the change from gasoline to ethanol.
Q5- What is the significance of a yellow gas cap?
The significance of the yellow gas cap is to show that ethanol can be used in that vehicle.
Q6- Describe bio-diesel.
Bio-diesel is a non-toxic, biodegradable, renewable, safe, and ready-to-use fuel.
Q7- Explain the term “flex-fuel engine”. What American auto manufacturer introduced the first prototype of a flex-fuel engine?
A flex-fuel engine is an engine that can run off of either gasoline or ethanol. Henry Ford, an American auto-manufacturer, introduced the first prototype of a flex-fuel engine.
Q8- Trace the progress of H.R. 6 for viewers to our web site. (dates introduced, amended, pass or rejected) http://www.eei.org/industry_issues/electricity_policy/federal_legislation/index.htm
H.R. 6 bill was introduced July 28, 2005; passed in the House November 16, 2005 and passed in the Senate December 22, 2005.
Q9- What is the purpose of the fuel hybrid vehicle commercialization initiative?
The purpose of fuel hybrid vehicle commercialization initiative is to improve technologies for the commercialization of hybrid and flex-fuel vehicles.
Q10- What is the nation's largest renewable energy resource?
Hydro-electricity is the nation’s largest renewable energy resource.
Q11- What is the purpose of the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative?
The purpose of Hydrogen Fuel initiative is to reduce reliance of foreign oil, have zero emissions, and to develop technology to produce, store, and distribute hydrogen for use in fuel-cell vehicles.
Q12- List seven items mentioned in the 2005 energy tax bill that taxpayers can claim as credits against their tax bills.
· Construction of energy efficient offices and homes.
· For contractors of new efficient homes if the home saves 50% or more over the 2003 International Energy Conservation Code.
· One equaling the cost of energy efficient equipment, if reduces energy consumption by 50%.
· Purchase of solar equipment.
· Purchase of water heaters, heat pumps, air conditioners, or furnaces with certain efficiency levels.
· For manufacturers who produce highly energy-efficient dishwashers, washers, and refrigerators.
· For the purchase of solar, photovoltaic and fuel cell properties for use in residences.