Terrorist Free

Most gas stations in the U.S. sell three blends of gasoline. The regular is an unleaded low octane blend, usually the cheapest of the three blends. The premium blend is a higher octane fuel required by high performance engines that use a higher compression ratio. The higher octane prevents premature combustion at the higher pressure. The third blend is a left over from the days when gas station sold an older regular leaded blend in addition to the unleaded regular required by cars with catalytic converters. This tends to be a blend with an octane rating between regular and premium, without any particular reason for being sold other than the infrastructure for selling three blends exists.

Instead of selling a middle octane blend, gas stations should offer a blend that is only refined from North American crude oil: a Terrorist-Free gasoline. They should be able to charge a higher price than regular gasoline. This blend could have a higher octane and more additives, in fact it could be the exact same formula they sell now but with the paperwork to prove that it was refined from Crude Oil pumped from the U.S., Canada, or Mexico.

Just as consumer can choose a dolphin-safe tuna or a conflict free diamond, they should be able to prefer domestically produced gasoline over gasoline that may or may not be made from imported oil.

Marketing should be simple:
Help bring the troops home; buy terrorist-free gasoline.
If you want energy independence, just pay for it.

To the oil companies, I say, “Give America a choice. Sell Terrorist Free gasoline at every gas station.”