Set America Free Coalition member Zubrin was the keynote speaker at the 24th annual International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo:Â
Robert Zubrin, author of Energy Victory: Winning the War on Terror by Breaking Free of Oil, gave a compelling account of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries strategic will to power through the constriction of global oil supplies. In 1972, the United States spent $4 billion on oil imports, or 4.5 percent of the U.S. defense budget. In comparison, 35 years later, the United States spends $650 billion on imported oil. As Zubrin put it, “$650 billion isn’t just money, it’s power.†What’s bad for wealthy countries like the United States is crushing for developing countries such as Kenya, he said. OPEC’s “slow choke†on oil supplies is smarter than a complete shutoff due to the military consequences the United States would exact on such a move. To hammer home Dinneen’s point about oil interests controlling editorial content of major media outlets, Zubrin said the Saudis partially own the Wall Street Journal. He quipped the paper should be renamed the Wahhabi Street Journal. “OPEC is taxing the industrial world into depression,†he continued. The United States could open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but it would do little good. “That’s a desperation card,†Zubrin said. “It’s not the way to go. Oil is trump right now, so how do we change the trump suit?†His answer is mandating all vehicles sold in the United States to be flex-fueled, giving consumers a fuel choice. A flexible-fuel vehicle mandate would end the chicken and egg dilemma, and would make E85 pumps appear rapidly across the country. “This would crash the oil price to $50 a barrel,†he told the crowd. “This is how you smash OPEC.†His plan states that, once the U.S. farmers have produced all the ethanol they can, trade barriers should be abolished, beginning the importation of ethanol from friends in Latin America and elsewhere to help them reap the prosperity now enjoyed by OPEC countries. “It would be a terrific financial engine for world development,†Zubrin said. “Instead of selling Citibank to Saudi princes, we can be selling tractors to Africa. … We cannot afford to leave this power in the hands of the enemies of freedom.â€