Dear President Trump. Please pressure Congress to remove the ethanol-in-the-gas requirement.

Auto issues | 20 May 2025 | Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Dear President Trump,

Please pressure Congress or whatever it takes to remove the ethanol-in-the-gas requirement for vehicles. You can save Americans and the producers money and hardly affect anything by doing so.

Thank you sir,

~Mene

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Chit/Chat; Education; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: ethanol; gas; remove; trump

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Have at it folks. Anyone else wishing we could go back to the good old days on MANY things?

[chajin]

(sung to Moonlight in Vermont)

Corn lobby is strong
Bribes and grift, they both abound:
ethanol-in-the-gas

[Dr. Sivana]

Ethanol producers were an early ally with Trump in 2015, and he supported Ethanol against Scott Walker, to his advantage in Iowa.

I don’t see the President changing his stance on that any time soon. If I recall, the 15% version happened on his watch.

[JSM_Liberty]

He doesn’t have to rum in the Iowa caucus again so he should feel free to do it.

[Navy Patriot]

Dear President Trump. Please pressure Congress to remove the ethanol-in-the-gas requirement.

Excellent!!!

[TexasFreeper2009]

All cafe standards and other car regulations regarding mileage and pollution need to be repealed.

[EnderWiggin1970]

I agree, no subsidies or distortions of the free market on this. If people want to pay for it they can do so on their own dime. Besides, enough small engine damage has been done with this mandate.

[DouglasKC]

I never buy ethanol for small engines. Worst stuff for it. Always pure gas.

[Fledermaus]

No. Pressure Congress. Screw Iowa.

[Fledermaus]

Fortunately we have at least 1 gas station that doesn’t use any. It’s called Pure.

[FatherofFive]

Besides, enough small engine damage has been done with this mandate.

I had a 2003 Caddy and always paid the $.50 premium for real gas, for just that reason.

Ethanol never made economic sense.

[Bonemaker]

Would piss of Ag industry at first but then switch over to making vodka, white lightning, etc and make a killing.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Perhaps Iowa is red enough to phase it out over 5 years.

[Srednik]

Amen, brother! Ethanol has a fraction of the BTU’s of gasoline.

[Bonemaker]

For sure...many things!

[TexasGator]

Running an E-85 tune gives me another 100 horsepower!

[alternatives?]

Ethanol was more expensive to produce than pure gas but the Feds adjusted the prices.

[Flaming Conservative]

Must be State to State; in Oklahoma you can choose to buy non ethanol gas at many stations.

[FatherofFive]

Perhaps Iowa is red enough to phase it out over 5 years.

People and animals should eat food, not burn it

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Tens of millions of small engines would love this. A handful of big agribusiness companies not so much. Here's what Grok has to say about it. Tens of millions of small engines would love this. A handful of big agribusiness companies not so much. Here's what Grok has to say about it.

Ethanol in Gasoline: A Big Systems Critique

Ethanol in gasoline is often promoted as a green fuel, but from a big systems perspective, it’s a flawed policy that benefits a few at the expense of many. Here’s why it’s a problem.

1. Payoff to Big Agriculture

• Ethanol mandates (Renewable Fuel Standard) guarantee profits for companies like ADM and Cargill.
• 40% of U.S. corn (5.5 billion bushels) goes to ethanol, inflating prices and benefiting agribusiness.
• Drivers pay through higher fuel costs and small engine damage, a hidden tax.

2. No Energy or Environmental Gain

• Ethanol’s energy return (1.3-2) is far worse than gasoline’s (5-10).
• Fossil fuels used in corn production (planting, harvesting, processing) negate benefits.
• Land-use changes and fertilizer emissions can make ethanol’s carbon footprint worse than gasoline.

3. Crop Price Stabilization Myth

• It is commonly argued that biofuel corn "stabilizes corn prices." This is a fallacious argument because ethanol uses specialty corn, not food corn. So it has no effect on food price stabilization.
• It drives up land and crop costs, hurting livestock farmers and consumers.
• Benefits go to large producers, not small farmers.

4. Diverting Land from Food

• 36 million acres of U.S. land grow corn for ethanol, not food.
• Higher corn prices raise global food costs, worsening hunger in poor countries.
• Environmental costs (deforestation, water use, dead zones) undermine “green” claims.

5. Smug Hypocrisy

• The biggest benefit of ethanol in gasoline is that environmentalists get to feel smug, righteous, and they get to congratulate each other for "doing something. As is usually the case with these people, their nostrums are not based on sound engineering and systems analysis, but emotions and feeling good.
• Its green label fuels self-righteous narratives, ignoring trade-offs like higher food prices and land diversion.
• Policies like the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) prioritize optics over outcomes, rewarding Big Ag while drivers pay.

Conclusion

Ethanol is a cross-subsidy from drivers to Big Ag, with no real energy or environmental upside. It damages small engines and takes land from food production, all to make a few feel good.