Having studied Chemistry with experience in the oil industry, I must say that there is much FUD with the Global Warming hype.
Oil/Gas ALREADY contains the desirable energy content when collected and processed. Processing is minimal when compared to Nuclear fuel.
EVERYTHING ELSE (fuel) must have the energy added as part of its production and that is very Expensive.
"Renewables" must be planted, fertilized, watered, harvested/collected, processed, and then are usable. ALL renewable alcohols (except perhaps iosbutanol) are inferior to 100% gasoline in energy content per gallon. Taxes are based on per gallon. (Duh! renewables = more demand in terms of gallons required to do the same amount of work and MORE taxes collected for the additional gallons purchased... of course politicians are for renewables) But it is a sham.
Petroleum is superior fuel from an efficiency per gallon standpoint and burns very cleanly in modern vehicles.
The only way to have ANY fuel compete with petroleum is to legislate an unfair and non-level playing field against petroleum.
It is just math and thermodynamics and chemistry.
Politicians are especially bad at math and thermodynamics and chemistry.
People crying the sky is falling and who blame alleged 'Global Warming' (AKA 'Climate Change') on CO2 levels as a proven fact is insanely irresponsible and unscientific. True, CO2 can contribute to retaining heat close to the surface of the planet, but much is wholly unknown about the CO2 cycle.
Ever hold a sea shell or coral? Ever drive on concrete or gravel? Chances are that those substances were almost completely composed of Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3). Yes, that is the product of the OCEANS, the ultimate CO2 sink is in Carbonate rocks.
These rocks rain down on the the floors of the oceans and become sea floor and eventually limestone (CaCO3). That is the ultimate fate of much of the CO2.
This process has happened for the history of the earth and has nothing to do with the minuscule amounts of CO2 we have added to the atmosphere.
This is a BLANKET TAX INCREASE and it will FAIL to solve any of the energy issues because the premise of what the problem is claimed to be is false.
Deforestation of parts of Africa, Europe, and South America effect global weather patterns much more profoundly than CO2 increases.
Meteorologists have trouble predicting the weather past 7 days into the future, I find it VERY improbable that the supercomputer models have it right 50-100 years out.
But if it gets politicians short-term funding, they will pass Cap & Tax and we will lose the rest of our industrial manufacturing and become a service-jobs-only based country.
Let's face it people, Oil and Gas are NATURALLY OCCURRING SUBSTANCES, and our environment is very well equipped to absorb the reintroduced CO2 released in the combustion of these fuels back into out planetary CO2 cycle.
CO2 is not like Mercury, Chlordane, or DDT. It is one of our body's own natural byproducts! To declare it a pollutant under EPA control is very ignorant of scientific facts and is irresponsible and dangerous.
The Cart is now trying to push the horse, and Petroleum is the Horse that built this country.