Beyond Gasoline: Twenty-First Century Fuels

As global demand for energy burgeons and oil resources become more limited and tightly controlled by foreign governments, America’s dependence on oil will become a larger threat to U.S. national security. For this reason, it is imperative that the United States promote unconventional fuels to replace the 12.5 million barrels of oil imported daily. Viable petroleum alternatives include renewable biofuels (biodiesel and ethanol), electricity, hydrogen, natural gas (compressed and liquefied), propane, and synthetic fuels (coal to liquid, gas to liquid, biomass to liquid). The following pages provide a brief overview of each fuel and a description of its production process.

• Biodiesel
• Ethanol
• Electricity
• Hydrogen
• Natural gas (CNG and LNG)
• Propane
• Liquified Coal (and synthetic fuel)

** Note: For information about other alternative fuels, including methanol and P-Series, visit the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center.

The United States imports about 60% of the oil it consumes, a large portion of which comes from countries repressive to their own citizens and hostile to the American people. To combat this petro-authoritarianism, the United States must develop the alternative fuel sources in abundant supply right here at home.