It's only a scam in the sense that renewables aren't as cost effective as coal or other power generation methods. This sounds like $9.75 covers the delta for 1000kWh produced by solar, wind, etc vice coal. It's only adding about 1 cent per kWh, which actually sounds like quite a good deal, considering those alternate energy sources are WAY more expensive than that; you can feel good knowing your hard earned money is already supporting a greener future through subsidies paid directly from your tax dollars, and subsidies paid indirectly through your electric bill as pocos are required to go "green" with expensive inefficient plants.
Ethanol is a boondoggle for reasons completely unrelated to oil- namely, it takes more energy to farm, process and distribute a gallon of ethanol from corn, soy, switchgrass or any other North American crop than you get from burning it. Only sugar cane has a net energy return, but that's not really an option here. Most of that energy is coming from coal, though, so we do have the benefit of at least trading oil imports for domestic coal production... but it's certainly not helping the environment at all.
