Disagrees with Dr. Robinson.(Letter to the editor)

Dr. Arthur Robinson states in the article "An Expert Look at the Energy 'Crisis'" (June 26 issue) that hybrid fuel "is pure, politically driven nonsense." He goes on to state, "Using diesel oil to grow corn to make ethanol--that's all political, and inefficient, and wasteful."

Dr. Robinson either is unaware or does not recognize another alternative, proven by years of usage but now on the upsurge due to higher conventional fuel costs. I have been running, for over 18 months now, on vegetable oil. In fact, it's waste vegetable oil, which costs me nothing and saves the restaurant owner the cost of hauling it away.

It contains the same amount of power, and I get the same mileage with a quieter engine as a bonus. This is a clean-burning fuel without sulphur or high particulate emissions. This alternative is so appealing that farmers are starting to devote acreage to oil crops, which power the tractors harvesting the fuel! Manufacturers could easily adapt diesel engines directly from the factory at a very small cost. Why not eliminate the subsidies we now pay many farms, eliminate our dependence on foreign petroleum, and clean the air?