Since this thread is under the “biofuel business” tab, how ’bout this:

On a trip to the Dominican Republic, last year, it occurred to me that the island has huge potential to be a source of renewable ethanol feedstock, if not ethanol itself. I toured a sugar cane plantation and saw thousands of acres of sugar cane. I also saw thousands of unplanted acreage.

I wonder if a group of insightful investors and businessmen could possibly negotiate something with their government to, at first, export raw feedstock to our ethanol plants, and then later develop their own plants on the island?

Surely I’m not the first to think of this, but I sure wish I had the resources and contacts to make it happen.

Of course, I’d most likely have to get past our own governmental roadblocks and tariffs, but the result could be that the D.R. gains more wealth and creates more jobs, which may in turn help alieviate their neighbor, Haiti’s chronic unemployment and abject poverty, resulting in less drain on the U.N.’s Humanitarian Aid budget (of which the U.S. is the largest contributor), allowing them to play feelgood “Bluehat” cop in more third world nations.

Another net result would be to pacify the “no food for fuel” crowd, by not using their precious corn. Then they could feel good about feeding the starving Ethernopians. (A Southpark reference)

BTW – Dominican cigars are much better than the leftover Cuban stock, as well as being legal and cheaper. But that’s another story.

Since this thread is under the “biofuel business” tab, how ’bout this:

On a trip to the Dominican Republic, last year, it occurred to me that the island has huge potential to be a source of renewable ethanol feedstock, if not ethanol itself. I toured a sugar cane plantation and saw thousands of acres of sugar cane. I also saw thousands of unplanted acreage.

I wonder if a group of insightful investors and businessmen could possibly negotiate something with their government to, at first, export raw feedstock to our ethanol plants, and then later develop their own plants on the island?

Surely I’m not the first to think of this, but I sure wish I had the resources and contacts to make it happen.

Of course, I’d most likely have to get past our own governmental roadblocks and tariffs, but the result could be that the D.R. gains more wealth and creates more jobs, which may in turn help alieviate their neighbor, Haiti’s chronic unemployment and abject poverty, resulting in less drain on the U.N.’s Humanitarian Aid budget (of which the U.S. is the largest contributor), allowing them to play feelgood “Bluehat” cop in more third world nations.

Another net result would be to pacify the “no food for fuel” crowd, by not using their precious corn. Then they could feel good about feeding the starving Ethernopians. (A Southpark reference)

BTW – Dominican cigars are much better than the leftover Cuban stock, as well as being legal and cheaper. But that’s another story.

Hey, thank you for pointing out the other 500 words in the article.

Hey, thank you for pointing out the other 500 words in the article.

Yes, this is a positive development for the state of the worlds fuel resources, regardless of where it comes from.

Europe has a much different fuel/energy problem than we do, and their resources are somewhat limited. Due to the nature of the governmental systems in the E.U., their respective governments will necessarily be more involve than ours needs to be. At least I hope so.

So their solutions may not necessarily translate for us. But this does seem to be one that just might, if the private sector here takes it on.

Our own government lost money running The Mustang Ranch, outside Las Vegas, when they took it over due to taxes. In other words, our elected idiots can’t even make money selling booze and whores!

Yes, this is a positive development for the state of the worlds fuel resources, regardless of where it comes from.

Europe has a much different fuel/energy problem than we do, and their resources are somewhat limited. Due to the nature of the governmental systems in the E.U., their respective governments will necessarily be more involve than ours needs to be. At least I hope so.

So their solutions may not necessarily translate for us. But this does seem to be one that just might, if the private sector here takes it on.

Our own government lost money running The Mustang Ranch, outside Las Vegas, when they took it over due to taxes. In other words, our elected idiots can’t even make money selling booze and whores!