I think they need to be looked at before terminating. Or terminated and then looked at for possible reinstatement.
When I had a car that got 10% less mpg on 10% ethanol, the ethanol program seemed to be a complete waste of government funds and my time (since I had to fill up 10 times for the same mileage that I used to only have to fill up 9 times for).
But now I have a 2007 car that only gets 5% less mpg on 10% ethanol. With the later model car the Ethanol program does appear to be reducing my demand for gasoline by about 1 gallon for every 15 gallon tank.
Of course the question is at what cost? 10% ethanol will have 1.5 gallons of ethanol for every 15 gallon tank. But I still have to buy another half gallon of gas to make up for the mpg drop. How much does that 1.5 gallons of ethanol cost over the cost of 1 gallon of gas saved. And is that extra cost justified by the strategic decision to reduce demand on oil and defund OPEC states?
It’s a bad solution. It takes MORE than the energy in 1.5 gallons of ethanol to make that 1.5 gallons. They claim that it’s made from the parts of the corn that are normally emitted as methane, and then what’s left, the complex carbs, are fed to the cattle, but I don’t KNOW that. I know a lot of corn has gotten diverted to this program and that other grains get squeezed out, and food prices rise.
I have liked the idea of natural gas cars for some time. Yes, you have to harden the gas tank-it can never be allowed to rupture, but we have a virtual ocean of it, it’s the cleanest thing to burn going, and it doesn’t require all that much processing. You can fill your tank at HOME (or away), and I’m quite sure you can go a LONG WAY on a tank of compressed natural gas.
It has always been obvious that ethanol made no sense other than as corporate welfare, precisely because of what you describe. With corporations and the commies both looting the Feds at will in a “bipartisan” fashion, we don’t have much longer left before a serious reckoning.
It's an engineering gain primarily derived from the gasoline component of fuel.
The accurate analysis of the situation is that no oxygenate is necessary in the vast majority of gasoline fueled vehicles on the road today, with properly refined gasoline.
Additionally, ethanol is grossly more expensive to produce than gasoline, and the subsidy revenue pursuit causes disasters such as the MTBE pollution scandal which purpose was to shift subsidy income from Archer Daniels Midland to more leftist politically connected chemical companies (many foreign) that manufactured MTBE from their waste products.
Gasoline oxygenate additives have NEVER been necessary for pollution reduction, and have always caused a net increase of pollution. It has always been about getting taxpayer funds (subsidies) to crony capitalist political donors, and never been about pollution.
It takes three gallons of gas to make one gallon of ethanol, IIRC. It’s a sham.
Ethanol is made by processing corn. Corn we use to eat. Not only is corn literally in everything we consume, it’s also used in the raising of livestock the world over.
What the subsidy does is allow a corn farmer to sell at a higher price with a safer margin of error because it’s backended by the gubmint.
Now here is the catch...
They are talking about wanting to jump to 15% Ethanol now. E85? I’m sure you’ve heard of this. None of my vehicles can use it, as it will destroy some of the plumbing in older vehicles. (1997 Landcruiser) So that’s kind of a big negative.
But the largest issues is the net-negative to get Ethanol out of the ground.
It takes massive amounts of water irrigation (fresh water) that we literally spend to fill up our vehicles, and the qty of Diesel used to farm the corn adds a huge tax on the ethanol efficiency that no gubmint report includes. oops...
If you’d like to know more:
http://www.naturalnews.com/029076_ethanol_fuel.html
And a VERY good article comparing various ethanols...
http://techfarm.blogspot.com/2008/05/efficiency-of-ethanol-is-it-worth.html
Ethanol was a gift to the farmers, and has been a massive sham on the American public.
End subsidies... end them now!
OPEC is just screwing the world right now, they have turned down production yet the speculators are driving the cost.
Fix the issue... Drill... Drill NOW, and use every form of energy you can without subsidy. Fast track research into Thorium reactors, and start building Nuclear plants.
Thats my take. :) YMMV
The corn is needed for food and feed, isn`t that right? Also if we grew corn for fuel in every field possible, would not be enough ethanol to make a difference... But the cost of corn for food/feed is to high because it`s going to fuel at a loss to taxpayers via subsidies.
Hey I am open to correction, tell me where I am wrong.
Love that Sarah has done this, she can call the rest of them out in the primaries after Iowa
I think it’s a travesty. A complete travesty that you burn our food to obtain fuel to drive out cars. This is pure sickness.
What is wrong with our politicians? Is there no one fiscally responsible up there in Washington?
The last little bit of respect I had for Romney is out the door.
How can anyone back ethanol subsidies?
Re: Ethanol.....does BURNING FOOD in your gas tank really sound like a good idea to you?