Bush Promotes Fuel Cells.....

Bush Promotes Fuel Cells on Earth Day
By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer Sat Apr 22, 11:10 AM ET

[But first ---
This is the way to go and I'll have to praise Bush for getting on the horse from the Left side rather than from the Right (those of you who know horses will understand).

The cost of gasoline is not Bush's fault, it is world demand - especially China and India. On top of that, of course, will be the seasonal fluctuations so this summer it should go sky high - maybe to four or five bucks a gallon. It certainly should help bicycle sales!

I don't think we should rely on coal either until we are able to ‘gasify' it to burn in ‘clean' furnaces. Most of it, especially the bulk which is high sulfur, is simply much too dirty to use.

As far as I'm concerned, the additive of ethanol to gasoline is merely a quick fix - something like ‘hamburger helper' during meat shortages or high prices. True, countries like Brazil which have more modest fuel needs and a high production of sugar can benefit by converting entirely to ethanol which will be price competitive with gasoline and environmentally cleaner except for CO2. (Not certain about the relative production of CO between the two - but I'd guess that etOH would produce less of the poison, CO.

I think - partly because a plethora of organizations thirty or forty years ago, called loosely, Mothers Against Nuclear Energy, etc. - the nuclear energy industry here in the US has lost a lot of time in its development of efficiency, safety and disposal problems. Fortunately, the rest of the world has developed the technology so perhaps we could buy reactors from France or perhaps in the near future, Iran.

I think that Iran has seen the writing on the wall that, indeed, its oil reserves will be depleted in the near future and it doesn't want to revert to being a dusty, impoverished desert characterized by camel caravans and oases which is what it was when I was a small kid. I think that is the reason it is striving to install nuclear generators while it can still afford to build them.

I'm a bit disappointed in the Democratic response mentioned below that they didn't also push fuel cells, but rather the quick fix measures of coal and ethanol. There are certainly times to be divisive but there are also times to climb on board or even jump to the forefront!

Since Iceland will be completely ‘hydrogenated' by 2030 you might be interested in reading about their development and also see diagrams of how fuel cells work:
(copy/paste) http://tinyurl.com/b5au2
The device is very much like batteries, simple. It is the necessary infrastructure which is the problem. Of course, it will always be the problem unless we start building it! ....AG]


ST. HELENA, Calif. - Unable to drive down high oil prices, President Bush is spending Earth Day promoting futuristic hydrogen fuel technology as a way to wean Americans from gas-guzzling vehicles.

After a bike ride near his Napa Valley resort Saturday morning, Bush planned to visit the California Fuel Cell Partnership in West Sacramento for a tour and speech on his energy plan.

The plan does not include any measures that would reduce gas prices in the short term, the White House acknowledges. But with Republicans worried that the increasing cost to drive could hurt them in the voting booth this year, Bush said he understands Americans are hurting.

"I know the folks here are suffering at the gas pump," Bush told an audience Friday in San Jose. "Rising gasoline prices is like taking a — is like a tax, particularly on the working people and the small business people."

But to address the immediate problem, Bush offered only a pledge that "if we find any price gouging it will be dealt with firmly."

The White House hopes the high gas prices will pressure Congress to act on the energy proposals the president outlined in his State of the Union address, such as increased federal research into alternative fuels and batteries for hybrid and electric cars.

Democrats, meanwhile, contend that the Bush administration places too much emphasis on drilling reserves and not enough on alternative fuels.

The promise of hydrogen fuel cell technology in vehicles is a favorite of automakers, environmentalists and politicians because it accomplishes two important goals — automobiles that run on fuel cells would not require gasoline and emit only water.

The problem with the technology is that it's many years away from widespread use. And it would require a new system of distributing hydrogen fuel to replace today's network of gasoline pumping stations.

Bush used his weekly radio address Saturday to promote the idea. "These fuel cells have the potential to revolutionize the way we power our cars by giving us vehicles that will emit no pollution and will be more efficient than gas-powered cars," he said.

In the Democratic response to Bush's radio address, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said that the Bush administration must stop being influenced by the powerful oil industry and start promoting production of synthetic fuel from coal and the use of alternative sources such as ethanol.

"We cannot drill our way out of this problem," Nelson said. [Since I don't listen to the radio, I didn't hear either address. I hope that Nelson was supportive and did mention fuel cells in a positive light and not just critical. ....AG]

Prices at the gas pump have been rising, with the average price of a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline at $2.855. That's 3 cents higher than a day earlier and more than 60 cents higher than a year ago, according to AAA's daily fuel gauge report.

Crude oil prices broke through $75 a barrel Friday amid concerns about the standoff over
Iran's nuclear ambitions, rebel disruptions of oil production in Nigeria, and tight U.S. gasoline supplies. Analysts say they are likely to climb even higher.

Bush's bike ride Saturday was no Earth Day stunt. The president rides on most weekend mornings, but made the special detour to overnight in St. Helena just to get in a picturesque ride through wine country. He had no official events there.

"I can't wait," Bush told his San Jose audience. "I'll be plugged into an iPod." [Can you listen to ‘Afternoon of a Fawn' on an iPod? (anyone catch the play?)...AG]