E85's Greatest Enemy

All around, some of E85's enemies are making significant advances. Ion lithium batteries are attracting a lot of R&D attention as well as practical application. Hydrogen refuses to fall off the horizon. But more importantly, people are genuinely concerned about the repercussions of food produce resources being applied to car fuel energy. Some have vehemently spoken out against Ethanol and per some reports corn prices have already been influenced while crude oil kept up its creepy crawl to $100/bbl.

However, just recently President Bush and congress signed into law what are being touted as ground breaking rules that will usher in a new era and galvanize us on the path to energy independence and environmental health. One would think this is a great victory for E85 and should keep its fledgling wings fluttering for now. Think again. Firstly, I would not want to look down this President or congress's track record for any validation on sowing the seeds of great ideas or successful execution. But even that is not relevant. No matter the virtuoso of its aptitude, some aspects of life and living are just beyond the domain of government and many a great thinkers like Milton Friedman warned us and vigorously fought to keep our markets and lives free of government intervention. There are places where government should get involved and places where it should not. This is not one of them. This is incongruous. Not congress. Only the free market is conducive to human invention and innovation. Political and bureaucratic entities would do best by staying away. And why would we need the government here? So much is already being done by the free market. After all, there was no government action to prompt manufacturers to start producing fuel efficient cars. For green charters by corporations and companies. For investments into solar technology. And the billions being poured into Ion lithium, hydrogen technology and other bio fuels. What warrant does the government have to start promulgating laws into a domain that is a paragon of the free market system. Not only that, but the rising demand and price for crude oil itself is enough to dictate the course of action.

Government needs to mind its own business for several reasons. Firstly, this is our way of life. Our foundation and principals are based on tapping strength by creating conditions that are conducive for free enterprise to flourish. Not to stifle it by intervention unless this is absolutely necessary. This appears to be a severe, though silent, violation of those principals. Secondly, government is political. It's motives are not based around maximization of profits and the most efficient allocation of capital. Therefore, by sheer force of nature it cannot evaluate the best or even good courses of action. Cronyism tends to be a loathsome by-product when government meddles in business. Even if it was able to make a good judgement and execute it well enough there is the impending risk of interference by rival political succession who may even reverse the course of action and plant it's own ideology.

Now don't get me wrong. I am not anti-government or establishment. But I am all for good perspective. Government can do much to encourage and fund efforts around innovation. And it needs to protect an enduring and founding ideology. If there is any silver lining to this dark cloud then its that in its attempt to regulate innovation government might end up subverting an option that perhaps is not a correct one on the basis of crossing over food resources into fuel.