>One event that was meant to solve the gasoline shortage was a dictate given by Richard Nixon. He decreed by Executive Order that for each gallon of crude oil being refined in the United States, a specific amount would be in the form of gasoline.
>
>The amount specified was greater then was being refined per gallon of oil. In fact the Energy Czar was on national television and stated that regardless of what the President wanted, the chemistry would not allow the additional amount demanded.
>
>Whatever happened to that Energy Czar? :)

He died yet his spirit lives on in the EPA.

In 2007 the EISA required the EPA to propose blending requirements for a number of "alternative" fuel types. For 2010 the EPA mandated cellulosic biofuel blending at 100 million gallons, increase to 250 million gallons in 2011, and were scheduled to increase to 500 million gallons in 2012. The original mandates increase each of the next 10 years after 2012, rising to 16 billion gallons in 2022. Only one problem, aside from a couple pilot-sized plants there is no production happening of cellulosic biofuel.

The EPA has reduced the mandates each year yet those dramatically reduced mandates still outpace what's available and what's foreseen to become available. Of course, companies can can buy "credits" to make up the difference. ;)