Sustainable Energy Policies Debated By State Governments

Energy usage has become THE hot issue. As the price for gas and home heating oil climb into the statosphere, lots of folks are praying for relief. Will the government provide that relief? In his recent State of the Union address, President Bush declared that the United States is"addicted to oil." Lots of people thought that signaled a new push by the Bush administration to address the issues of how we're going to keep the lights on and the cars rolling in the 21st century. Unfortuantely, those hopes largely fizzled after the speech when no new initiative or programs were actually put into motion. Many state lawmakers, impatient with the federal government's slow to non-existent response to our "addiction" to oil, have begun to take things into their own hands. State lawmakers, many from so-called Democratic "blue" states, have started passing regulations for power plant and car emissions. They're also requiring some energy to be created by renewable techniques such as wind and solar. Energy efficiency requirements for household appliances are also being discussed. So far, the federal government has been happy to let the state legislatures pick up the slack on environmental concerns. "I don't see anything wrong with the states being involved," commented Senator Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), who is currently chairman of the federal Energy and Natural Resources Committee. While some argue that state regulations will not have an impact nationally on greenhouse gas emissions, others say that if the requirements are enacted in enough states there will be a significant impact. And is looks like states ARE having an impact, even if global warming hasn't come to a screeching halt. Several manufacturers have adopted new nationwide regulations to avoid having to customize products for each state. "If we can't get the federal government to act, then we have to take action in any way we can," said Gina McCarthy, the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection in Connecticut. Let's just hope all this boils down to better prices for consumers.

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Scams Plague Fuel Customers

The rising price of gasoline has produced a surge of products that promise to provide relief at the gas pump. Unfortunately, most of them are rip-offs! Some are even dangerous, to your health or to your car. In May of 2006, Texas based BioPerformance, Inc., was shut down by the Attorney General for being an illegal pyramid scheme. The company's product, a pill for the gas tank that was supposed to increase gas mileage, was found to be chemically equivalent to mothballs, which are toxic. Even though both company and product were complete frauds, each still drew a large crowd. To promote BioPerformance and suck people into the illegal pyramid scheme (which was disguised as multi-level marketing), the company sponsored big, pep-rally like seminars around the country. At the seminars, people who paid lots of money to have the privilege to sell the little gas pill were encouraged to believe in the product and its ability to make money, despite the fact the BioPerformance bottle had a disclaimer in tiny print: "BioPerformance, Inc., doesn't guarantee anyone any results" To further encouraged people, the president of BioPerformance, a pastor named Llowel Mims, adopted the benevolent position of announcing his goal to make at least 1,000 participants in the BioPerformance company millionaires. Playing on patriotism, the company promoted the pill as "All American" because it is a way to lessen dependence on the Middle Eastern oil countries and help the environment. When it comes down to laboratory tests though, BioPerformance's pill doesn't measure up to the claims. In fact, it has actually been proven to hurt car engines. That's a far cry from the "All American" product celebrated at the seminars. The bottom line in this is that if it's too good to be true and hasn't been backed up by numerous independent studies, than it's probably a scam.

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High Gas Prices Inspire Con Artists

The high price of gasoline brings out the worst in some people. It also brings out the gullibility in others. A spate of rip-offs have been uncovered recently, all designed to take advantage of people's desperation to lower their fuel bills. Texas based company BioPerformance, Inc., was shut down in May for being an illegal pyramid scheme and marketing a "magic gas pill" that wasn't magic at all--unless moth balls are magic. Drawing on the desire for cheap gas at a time when gas prices are at record heights, BioPerformance claimed to have a "magic gas pill" that would increase fuel efficiency by 30% and reduce harmful emissions by half. In independent laboratory tests at the University of Texas and a university in Florida, the gas pills were discovered to be nothing but moth balls! Moth balls not only won't improve gas mileage, they can actually hurt your car's engine instead of helping it. Moth balls are also deadly to people, although the Bioperformance bottle claimed the pills were non-toxic. "These claims are bogus," said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. "The pill does absolutely nothing to improve gas mileage. The company is merely a smokescreen to trigger the recruitment of more and more paying members into what appears to be an illegal pyramid scheme.” Along with promoting a product that is dangerous, BioPerformance was found to be an illegal pyramid scheme masquerading under the disguise of a multi-level marketing company. In legitimate multi-level marketing, profit comes from how much product a person sells; in illegal pyramid schemes, profit comes from recruiting more people into the program. According to the BioPerformance website, at the time the company was shut down, it had 4,500 members in Texas and $25 million in sales. All that was built in just five months, which goes to show how desperate people are to save money at the gas pump. You must be careful, there are very few product on the market today that will help you get better gas mileage. Bioperformance is one of the worst cases and fortunately, they've been put out of business and their owners are in serious legal trouble.

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High Gas Prices Bring Flood Of Bad Products

Title: High Gas Prices Bring Flood Of Bad Products Word Count: 338 Summary: In a world where gas prices are at record heights, there are lying scumbags who will take advantage of your desire to get more miles to the gallon. Lately there have been a flood of products on the market claiming to boost gas mileage, but very few of them actually work. First, there are fuel additives like the Platinum Gas Save and the BioPerformance pill. Neither works, and the BioPerformance pill has been proven to be nothing but moth balls, which are toxic. Then the... Keywords: fuel costs, gas prices, cheap gas, save money on gas Article Body: In a world where gas prices are at record heights, there are lying scumbags who will take advantage of your desire to get more miles to the gallon. Lately there have been a flood of products on the market claiming to boost gas mileage, but very few of them actually work. First, there are fuel additives like the Platinum Gas Save and the BioPerformance pill. Neither works, and the BioPerformance pill has been proven to be nothing but moth balls, which are toxic. Then there are the Fuel Genie and Tornado, which are mounted in the air flow meter of your car. They are supposed to affect the way air is sucked into the car, but have yet to be proven effective in improving mileage. However, altering the air flow of your car can make it overheat, possibly causing permanent damage. There is also the Predator and many similar knock-off products. The predator costs a hefty $400 and reprograms your car to ignite the fuel earlier, which makes the fuel burn longer. Though the initial aim is to increase horsepower, customers have reported getting better gas mileage as a happy side effect. And these products DO work like they say. But, they're risky. When the engine burns less fuel by this method, there is the risk of overheating it. Since the car is using less gas, it doesn't have the ability to cool itself properly. Again, this can cause your engine to overheat and perhaps even ruin it completely. No one want to save a few bucks on gas just to blow their engine! Many mechanics are wary of all these additives and gizmos. "Yeah, you might get a little better gas mileage out of it, but you might have just taken 50,000 miles of life off the motor by trying to do it," said Larry Perry, the Magic Mechanic radio host. The Environmental Protection Agency has been looking for and testing gas-saving products for over thirty years and has found very few that meet its standards. So be careful. In a world where gas prices are at record heights, there are lying scumbags who will take advantage of your desire to get more miles to the gallon. Lately there have been a flood of products on the market claiming to boost gas mileage, but very few of them actually work. First, there are fuel additives like the Platinum Gas Save and the BioPerformance pill. Neither works, and the BioPerformance pill has been proven to be nothing but moth balls, which are toxic. Then there are the Fuel Genie and Tornado, which are mounted in the air flow meter of your car. They are supposed to affect the way air is sucked into the car, but have yet to be proven effective in improving mileage. However, altering the air flow of your car can make it overheat, possibly causing permanent damage. There is also the Predator and many similar knock-off products. The predator costs a hefty $400 and reprograms your car to ignite the fuel earlier, which makes the fuel burn longer. Though the initial aim is to increase horsepower, customers have reported getting better gas mileage as a happy side effect. And these products DO work like they say. But, they're risky. When the engine burns less fuel by this method, there is the risk of overheating it. Since the car is using less gas, it doesn't have the ability to cool itself properly. Again, this can cause your engine to overheat and perhaps even ruin it completely. No one want to save a few bucks on gas just to blow their engine! Many mechanics are wary of all these additives and gizmos. "Yeah, you might get a little better gas mileage out of it, but you might have just taken 50,000 miles of life off the motor by trying to do it," said Larry Perry, the Magic Mechanic radio host. The Environmental Protection Agency has been looking for and testing gas-saving products for over thirty years and has found very few that meet its standards. So be careful.

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