The Problem with Ethanol is the Mandate [Sounds Familiar.]

ATR ^ | 2011-06-15 | Christopher Prandoni

[92nina]

After a decade of experimenting with mandates, tax credits and tariffs, a national consensus has been reached that ethanol is just not worth it. Late to arrive at this conclusion are farmers, their Congressional representatives, and presidential candidates eager to win over primary voters—a coalition that has made it nearly impossible to begin unwinding the various policies designed to prop-up ethanol.

The driving force behind U.S. ethanol consumption is the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), otherwise known as the ethanol mandate, which was established with the enactment of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.The RFS mandated that a minimum of 4 billion gallons of renewable fuels be used in 2006 and that Americans consume at least 7.5 billion gallons by 2012. Two years later, in the midst of the 2008 campaign cycle, Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 greatly expanding the RFS mandate. Americans now must consume 36 billion gallons of “renewable fuels” annually by 2022—15 billion gallons of which will be corn ethanol.

This is bad for American consumers. Implicit in the ethanol mandate is the reality that without such a policy, Americans would not use nearly as much ethanol—and for good reason. During most of the past 30 years, ethanol has been more expensive than regular gasoline. Furthermore, ethanol contains one-third less energy than gasoline. This means that if you put one gallon of gasoline in your car and one gallon of ethanol in your friend’s identical model, you’ll go 15 percent farther than your friend. Responding to an increase in the RFS mandate, some automakers are even installing larger gas tanks in vehicles...

Read more: http://www.atr.org/problem-ethanol-mandate-a6244#ixzz1PSK5Uz3Y

[Elendur]

So you are suggesting that farmers should not be free to sell their products in whatever manner they wish? Are you suggesting that you or the government should take the fruits of the farmers labor and do as you please? If so, you are no freeper. Grain has been turned into EtOH since before agriculture came into existence. What do you know about farming?
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i think you are drinking that ethanol.

i am on YOUR side, if you are a farmer !

my post #13 CLEARLY shows i strongly support farmers, AND their right to do ANYTHING they want with their own crops, and to sell they OWN labor, to ANYONE they wish, including whiskey makers !!!

i am a proud free-market capitalist, like Milton Friedman.

you call me “no freeper” because i simply don’t support a 6 BILLION dollar incentive for ethanol that is provably bad for our country in every way ?

and then accuse me of being no farmer? would you like the see the barn behind my house?
and do i have to be a woman to speak out against abortion?
(i thought only liberals defined such limits, and made straw man arguments. not freepers.)

YOU sir, put words in my mouth i did not say. you accuse me of not being a freeper because i dislike GOVERNMENT subsidies.

do you call ALL people here “not freepers” when they are against subsidies in other areas? or is only ethanol sacred?

and, in fact, while i HATE big government subsidies, i actually made an EXCEPTION in #13 for farmers, saying i would even support a DIRECT subsidy FOR FARMERS, so they could do their vital work of feeding the world.

...it is only the 6 BILLION dollar mandated ethanol subsidy, i have opposed here.

[Neoliberalnot]

Clearly I struck a nerve. I have no problem doing away with all subsidies and government checks, but to selectively attack farmers for an EtOH subsidy is unfair. My point is, why not attack the freeloaders with the same vigor. Why not get rid of SS, Medicare, Medicaid, and the rest. Actually, I favor a 25% cut across the board. Tell me of a business with more than 2 dozen workers that does not receive some type of government incentive?

For the record, ETOH does provide about a 20% energy gain plus a high protein feed for cattle—this is the part always ignored by EtOH opponents and the oil industry. Show me why turning solar energy into portable fuel at 400 gallons/acre is so bad. And just so I can ascertain your level of farming knowledge—about how much diesel fuel does it take to plant one acre of corn? I am acquainted with a very well-known agriculture economist you should talk to.