Thog's Science Masterclass #4

[realthog]

Thanks to Think Progress (which see for a fuller story) for this:

Rep. Bill Sali (R-ID), who is participating in the GOP’s ongoing “Drill Now” energy stunt, has a unique idea about how to bring down gas prices: extracting oil from trees. In a meeting in his Capitol Hill office, Sali reportedly told a candidate for Idaho’s House of Representatives, Byron Yankey, that there “‘could be up to 40 barrels of oil‘ in a single tree.” Yankey wrote on his campaign blog:

Congressman Sali informed us that a solution to the high price of gasoline was to make petroleum from “all those trees in our forests.” … He continued by saying there “could be up to 40 barrels of oil” in a single tree.

Sali made a similar comment in 2006:

“Forty percent of the mass of every tree in the forest is crude oil,” he said. Going after that, he said, “could put Idaho in the oil business for the first time.”

There's further discussion on Obsidian Wings and The Stupid Shall be Punished (and, I imagine, lots of other places!).

Comments

Re: I'm AWED.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"This is the result of eating too many potatoes."

Consuming them by hammering them in through his ears has been Sali's big mistake.

Re: I'm AWED.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

That could be. Or it could be that the statement 'Famous Potatoes' on Idaho licence plates refers to the citizens, not the products.

Re: I'm AWED.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

Of course, there's a gallon and a half of crude oil in every Idaho potato. Everyone knows that, too.

Re: I'm AWED.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

That explains their fattening effect.