I agree with you Krewat, The ethonal is where I think a big gain can be made. What really needs to be done is to have engines built to run it. Right now they build them to run on both E85 and reg ol 87octane. Basic knowlage says that if you have high octane (like that of E85) you need high compression. I would almost put money on the fact that if someone built a engine specifically for E85 it would perform every bit as good as the current line up. In reality they would also have more power per CI with a 12 or 13:1 compression ratio than the same with the 8 and 9:1s they currently run. The distribution network is readily avalable, we just need the vehicles and plants for production.

As far as the cooking oil comment, the key to both E85 and Biodiesel is it's replenishable, unlike Dino oil. Yes cooking oil costs $6 per gallon but it's also not in production for fuel either! Right now biodiesel sells for about the same price as Dino Diesel, You can use it in current vehicles and no modifications have to be made, don't discount your kid and his teacher as they are definitly on the right track. In reality its quite cost effective to produce. How do I know this, well I can look out my window right now at work see the largest Biodiesel plant in the nation being built. It's a daily read in our local newpaper!!

The key to any fuel is three things: It has to be replenishable, it has to be enviromently friendly, and it has to be cost effective; End of story!! I personally think the oil companies are in bed with both the government and the car companies. I feel the same way with the chemical companies, if you look at the government programs for farming it would be a clear picture!!! There are no incentives for summerfallow which has been proven to be more productive with better weed control than a chemicly induced crop, yet on the other hand they have the CRP progam which I also feel is a complete crock. It has potential but is managed and governed poorly with even poorer policies.

The last of my rant has to do with why the oil companies are gouging us at this time period. It HAS been PROVEN that we are not in a shortage!!! There have been no reasons given why other than the recent excuses of the huricanes but before that point they had nothing to back up the price jumps. The record profits posted show some obvious greedy people that must think that our economy doesn't have a direct relation to gas prices, but there again what do they care, they aren't in the poor house trying to figure out if they need to put food on the table or gas in there car to get to work!! They may have some validity to the shortage of refineries but that religates directly back to the government and the EPA resriction making it so damn hard to build a plant that economicly feesable!!!

all right thats my take on things, end of rant, I need a beer!!!