California To Sell Organic Gas
Organic products have become big business for many companies, but California will be the first state to produce and offer organic gasoline for sale.
by George Wolfe
SAN FRANCISCO – California is known for many alternative things that cause the rolling of eyes, but its sponsorship of an organic gasoline program is actually turning heads.
Still trying to chip away at its deficit, Governor Schwarzenegger has given the green light to a controversial program that encourages wholesome driving through environmentally friendly fossil fuels.
"It’s an extra-pure form of fuel that Californians can feel good about sending up into the atmosphere."
— Mildred Moen,
Governor's spokesperson
The program targets the growing number of state residents who regularly use organic products. By charging as much as $4.99 per gallon, the state expects to reap a windfall of $200 million by 2008.
"You might ask: What is ‘organic gasoline’ anyway?” says the governor’s spokesperson, Mildred Moen. “Well, it’s an extra-pure form of fuel that Californians can feel good about sending up into the atmosphere. It has absolutely no pesticides or animal byproducts. Essentially, it’s green fuel at its best.”
FILL 'ER UP: These organic pumps, made from compressed lima beans, are costly but eco-friendly.
At least one leading scientist from the energy sector has called the product “more like snake oil.” William DeVries, an oil production researcher for Exxon, says “There’s absolutely no evidence that organic gasoline does anything one iota better than regular gasoline.”
But since when do Californians respond to logic?
Just ask Thomas Guidé, a Berkeley resident who recently made his wedding suit out of flattened bottle caps. “I’m all for it, for sure,” says Guidé, “This isn’t some synthetic fuel that’s cooked up in a mysterious industrial-military complex and which only ends up polluting the environment. This is the real deal – like it comes straight from the ground! And I’m willing to pay a little extra for that sort of peace of mind.”
Law & Business
