Ethanol is a total scam. It costs a lot to produce. It uses lots of water to produce. If leads to more farm subsidies. It increases the price of feed and food. It provides fewer miles-per-gallon. It is bad for small engines (lawn mowers, weed whips, etc.). Just get rid of it period.
Exactly. I remember reading a long time ago that, in terms of energy units, you get 1.1 units for every 1.0 units consumed in the ethanol production process. I can't remember the exact numbers, but if you use Switchgrass, which is essentially a weed, you get 1.8 units out for every 1.0 in. You don't suppose the corn lobby has anything to do with influencing the EPA, do you?
Watch out! There are many Freepers and a few trolls who will vilify you for any hint that ethanol is a scam. I happened to completely agree with you, but be prepared for a flaming.
I got slammed here in 2009 for posting the following - let's try again....
My Energy Manifesto:
* Cease all ethanol subsidies - and all energy subsidies for that matter. (If an entrepreneur want to “go for it” let ethanol be successful on its own merits with good ‘ol American market forces.) Ethanol takes away from food production and the unintended consequence is higher food costs. As diesel prices go up, the cost of farming tips the balance of cost to make ethanol a bad idea. Just say "no" to ethanol! Even Jimmy Carter says that diverting farm production from food to fuel is dumb – even HE gets it. This will create only ONE "blend" of gasoline and will cease regional "boutique" blends (gasohols) which are stupid, costly, and meaningless. Trucking custom blends around the country is wasteful. Ethanol blends may actually lead to fewer miles to the gallon, and adds to the cost of production and transportation. Newer cars do not need oxygenated fuels.
* Lift the restrictions in order to drill for oil in Alaska, Gulf of Mexico, and other sites in the CONUS as a matter of national security. The Crap-and-Charade bill does not address this at all.
* Encourage the petro industry to construct state-of-the-art refineries and/or retrofit current and dormant ones and crank up production for our newly-accessed oil in the CONUS. Use the "model" of the Joliet refinery, built in the late 1970's (it is still considered 'new' since few others have been built since). The Joliet refinery specializes in "sour-heavy" crude and ONLY cracks US-pumped oil. Screw the "light-sweet" from foreign countries who hate us. This is the ONLY way to attain independence from foreign oil. The Crap-and-Charade bill does not address this at all.
* Make all “carbon credit” scams unlawful, including "cap and trade" feel-good screwing of Americans. Discrediting Algore should have been a slam-dunk a long time ago. Stop electing Reps who buy into the Global Warming / Global Cooling / Climate Change Hoax. CO2 is not our enemy!
* Consider the construct SEVERAL, regional Pebble-Bed Modular Reactors (or other similar modern designs) that are rechargeable, and cleaner than any current nuclear generator design. If pebble-bed is not viable, build traditional ones. Refine spent nuke fuel for recycling. Re-open Yucca Mountain. DO SOMETHING NUCLEAR to resolve energy problems. The Crap-and-Charade bill does not address this at all.
* Use the residual heat from the reactors above to process motor fuel from coal and/or shale. Even though Clinton "stole" some of the best coal reserves, we still have a lot to use (much of it in Illinois which has high unemployment).
* Become independent enough to make the cartels (i.e. OPEC) inconsequential. The Crap-and-Charade bill does not address this at all.
* Lift or cap the tax on gasoline. When the tax is higher than the profit margin, the argument over what is “obscene” becomes moot. The Crap-and-Charade bill does not address this at all.
* List (chapter and verse) all the regulations and laws that need to be repealed in order to drill, and drill now. Use this list as the new "Contract With America for Energy Security". Have a mega-bill introduced that in one fell swoop removes the self-imposed energy embargo. California is dying from self-inflicted denial of oil.
If you squint real hard, and read between the lines, the ‘manifesto’ will require fewer RINOs and LibDems and the election of some clear-minded conservatives to even consider the above.