Disturbin' the Turban

I wonder why Richard Branson, boss of Virgin Atlantic Airways, waited to go to Dubai to announce his intentions of finding alternative fuels for the aircraft owned by his four airlines.

His announcement took place conveniently at the same time that Virgin is promoting flight service from the UAE.

“We are looking for alternative fuel sources. We are going to start building cellulosic ethanol plants (to make) fuel that is derived from the waste product of the plant,” he told Reuters in an interview in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates.

“It is 100 percent environmentally friendly and I believe it’s the future of fuel, and over the next 20 or 30 years I think it actually will replace the conventional fuel that you get out of the ground.”

It cannot be any secret to the Arab world that consumers of their products are becoming just a bit testy when it comes to fuel prices. This sort of dart, kindly delivered by Branson, may help to serve notice to the Arab world that innovative companies and countries will find alternative energy solutions if forced to do so.

(h/t Drudge Report)