"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...

If ethanol were actually an economically viable improvement to gasoline,
we wouldn't need laws to encourage it.



Absolutely correct, and that day may come. You have had your first
flirtation with 5 dollar gas; next time it might be 10 or 15.

The issue is: do you encourage alternates *now*, in anticipation of that
day, and begin a phase-in of the necessary infrastructure (both physical and
mental).

Or do you simply wait for the day, and attempt to create it all overnight?

There's a catch-22 if you do not phase alternates in soon. Unless you
create some alternate-energy capacity now, alternates will *never* be
economically viable.... because when you *do* finally admit that petroleum
is too expensive, the too-expensive petroleum will still be the only
available energy to produce your methanol, or whatever.