Republicans and oil companies are more environmental than you might think.

From today's LA Times:



I think we've been rather harsh on both Republicans and the petroleum industry. I look around and see all the wonderful plastic products I use...wait, what's this?



It's all about...filthy lucre? Again!? Next thing, they'll be telling me there's no Santa Claus.

The lowdown, from Lou Grinzo:

"Fifteen cents a gallon? Seriously? That’s not putting a price on carbon; if anything, it’s giving the oil business a gigantic shortcut around any meaningful price we put on carbon in other sectors. A person who drives 12,000 miles a year in a 25 MPG car would pay a whopping $1.38 more per week for gasoline. I doubt the average American consumer knows to within $1.38 how much money is in his/her pockets/purse/wallet at any given time. I sure couldn’t, and I’ve been accused of being pathologically thrifty by more people than I care to think about."

http://theenergycollective.com/TheEnergyCollective/63206?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

When combusted a gallon of gasoline will produce 20 pounds of CO2.

1 short ton = 2000 pounds
1 gallon of gasoline = 20 pounds of CO2

1 ton of CO2 = combusting 100 gallons of Gasoline.

$0.15 * 100 = $15.00

Thus $0.15 per gallon of gasoline is equivalent to $15 per ton CO2 tax.

The problem......

Most economist think it will take a $45/ton carbon tax to have any meaningful affect on CO2. Not only that the tax would need to ratchet up.

i.e something like:
$45 per ton in 2012
$60 per ton in 2015
$100 per ton in 2020
$150 per ton in 2025

This would allow companies to make long term plans and project what a decision (coal vs wind for example) will cost them in the future.

A $15 carbon tax is too low to be effective. A flat carbon tax is also ineffective.

The reality is what we get from petroleum (fuel, plastics, etc, etc)we can get from plants. Many eateries are starting to use compostable plastics made from corn and other plants materials rather than petroleum based plastics. Also several organic produce companies are using organic compostable plastic for salad mixes. The Dutch have been using an industrial hemp based plastic that seems to have more positive impacts (such as lower water use and pesticides use).

A 1995 documentary called the Hemp Revolution talks about such 'break through', Nextflix has the video for online viewing.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113290/ Also on YouTube.

Smithsonian magazine did an article entitled "Corn Plastic to the Rescue". Demonstrating even Wal-Mart and others are going green with "biodegradable" packaging made from corn. But is this really the answer to America's throwaway culture?

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/plastic.html#ixzz0lBC2IEfl

n the 1910s Henry Ford experimented with using agricultural materials in the manufacture of automobiles. Ford was partly motivated by a desire to find nonfood applications for agricultural surpluses, which existed then as they do now. He tried out many agricultural crops, including wheat.
http://www.hempplastic.com/newSite/hp_aboutplastics_fordcar.htm

I am not saying corn based plastics are the solution...but it sure is a good start to petro based plastic.