If you look at the statistics at the bottom of each page from the corporate issue of VICE (v9n1), you’ll notice that the top- ranking corporations in terms of revenue and assets are all oil and gas industries. It’s what makes our economy tick, unfortunately. The USA consumes 25.5 percent of the world’s share. Only Asia comes close, but they have more than ten times the population. If you add the $503 billion made from raw and refined oil revenues to the $340 billion in auto sales (we’ll exclude aircraft, trucks, and marine vehicles from consideration, but they all burn gas too), you have pretty much the largest single industry sector in the global economy.

Auto manufacturers know more than anyone that oil’s days are numbered and, despite government pressure not to bother, have been working for decades on models that utilize hydrogen fuel cell technology. BMW recently toured its fleet of hydrogen cars around the world and is currently working closely with Dubai, the first region in the Middle East that scientists forecast will run out of oil in the next 10-13 years. Dubai wants to become the world’s leading producer of liquid hydrogen by 2011.

It’s not just the auto manufacturers that are tired of Bush and Cheney. The General Accounting Office (arm of Congress) is now suing Cheney and the White House to find what oil and energy insiders like Enron ex-CEO Ken Lay had to do with the formation of this policy. It’s become clear to everyone that this government is trying to stall the petroleum-free future as much as possible. There’s simply too much money to be made.

Hydrogen is only one solution. There are other alternative fuels: alcohols like ethanol and methanol, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and gasoline and diesel fuel that don’t come from petroleum but coal (which is actually cleaner than petroleum). Our favorite is bio-diesel. It’s a lot like diesel fuel but it’s made from plant oil or animal fat.

Soap-maker Jeff Plowman makes the weekly rounds to his favorite restaurants’ greasy spoons, collecting used fryer grease to fuel his two diesel vehicles. Bio-diesel is made by reacting vegetable oil with sodium methoxide to create an alternative fuel without fossil resources. This sort of bathtub chemistry is not for the faint of heart, but with a little education and careful calculation, you too can create an alternative to foreign oil in your own garage. All the information you need can be found in Joshua Tickell’s definitive book on the subject, From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank. Recipes can vary depending on the quality of the fryer oil, but Jeff’s standard formula is simple: 30 gallons used fryer oil, 6 gallons methanol, 18 ounces sodium hydroxide.

Dissolve the sodium hydroxide into the methanol. This mixture is called sodium methoxide (a very strong base). Add the sodium methoxide to the fryer grease and stir vigorously for one hour. Allow the reaction to settle out. This should take about 8 hours. The liquid on top is bio-diesel and the stuff on the bottom is glycerin. You should wear protective gloves, clothing, and a mask if you do not want to look like the Elephant Man. This sodium methoxide can burn fingerprints off the most hardened criminal. Take the bio-diesel off the top and put it in your car and you’re done.