Includes bibliographical references (p. 125-132) and index.

Introduction. From the beach to the baseball diamond -- Understanding strategic commodities -- What is energy independence anyway? -- Plans aplenty, mostly empty -- From the car ahmadinejad loves to the one Bin Laden Hates -- Fueling 48 floors -- Melting ice meets melting west: powering our cars with CO2 -- Thinking inside the box: why batteries are so expensive and what we can do to bring down their cost -- Back to the salt brines: tomorrow's dependencies --The choice to have choice.

Throughout history the pursuit of strategic commodities has governed world affairs. Centuries ago salt enjoyed a monopoly over food preservation, and securing access to the white mineral shaped the great empires' international behavior. Today, it is oil that monopolizes our transportation system giving those who control it inordinate power on the world stage. Breaking the oil cartel and oil's monopoly over transportation fuel is the only way to bring about energy independence, insulate our economy against future oil shocks and win the war on radical Islam, argue two of America's leading energy security advocates Gal Luft and Anne Korin in Turning Oil into Salt: Energy Independence Through Fuel Choice. Energy independence is not about the amount of oil we use or import; it's about turning oil from a strategic commodity second to none to just another commodity. In an unvarnished and lucid manner Luft and Korin chart a realistic way to do so while addressing the barriers on the road.