Why can't good engineering be used to make oil? Its a very simple process and would be good for all.?

Germany manufactured synthetic petroleum from natural gas before and during WWII. Canada is doing it today from coal. It is probably possible to develop a process using plants (for example, agricultural chaff) as the starting material.





But I must disagree that it would be ';good for all,'; as it would do nothing to alleviate the problem of greenhouse gasses. In fact, it would bring down prices and encourage MORE consumption, making the problem worse.





The answer is to find alternative, non-polluting, renewable sources of energy. The US will not lead in this research, because our politicians are in the pockets of Big Oil.








EDIT: Note to all the people mentioning thermodynamics: Most of the work is already done when a plant grows, chemically storing energy received from the sun. This is the ultimate source of energy in crude oil, synthetic or otherwise. Synthetic petroleum CAN yield more energy than what is used in the process of manufacture, WITHOUT violating any thermodynamic laws.Why can't good engineering be used to make oil? Its a very simple process and would be good for all.?
The bottom line is that no matter how clever the engineers are or the excellence of the processes they devise, they and them are still fettered by the laws of thermodynamics.Why can't good engineering be used to make oil? Its a very simple process and would be good for all.?
Sources please.
There is simply no reason to manufacture oil.





You can make gasoline from coal or other non oil hydrocarbons but it costs too much to be competitive with crude oil.





You can get an oil like substance from shale but that is expensive and takes a great deal of effort to keep it friendly to the environment.





Remember making hydrogen from water is a simple process but it is not an economic one.
Why? It would take energy more energy to make than we would get out of it.
The USAF also seems to think that bombing a small country with smart bombs helps to spread democracy.





As for the DOE... it does what it is told to do, just like the air force. If people in Washington give them grants to do something, they will do it, no matter how foolish. Their coal-to-liquids programs are just some of the most foolish engineering research ever. They solve nothing but waste a lot of money that could be used on known solutions.
Diminishing returns... it would be like that stupid E-85 fuel that costs more to produce than it can sell for, but the politicians aren't smart enough to figure it out.