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EPA Fines Oil Refiners for Failing to Use Nonexistent Biofuel
Hot Air ^ | June 22, 2012 | Howard Portnoy

Posted on 06/23/2012 5:12:17 AM PDT by rusty millet

Question: Do you fill your car’s tank with gasoline that is part cellulosic ethanol, an environment-friendly distillate of wood chips, corn cobs, and switch grass? Let me answer for you: No, you don’t. You couldn’t if you wanted to. Petroleum products blended with cellulosic ethanol aren’t commercially available, because the technology for mass-producing cellulosic ethanol hasn’t been perfected. None of which has stopped the Environmental Protection Agency from imposing hefty yearly fines on oil refiners. According to the The New York Times, in 2011 automotive fuel producers were assessed $6.8 million in penalties. That amount is expected to climb dramatically this year. Guess who ends up footing the bill for the difference?


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government
KEYWORDS: cellulosicethanol; energy; epa; epaoutofcontrol; ethanol; gas; gasoline; gasprices; globalwarminghoax; greenenergy
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Glad to see this being addressed. The USDA and DOE are both complicit in advancing this fairy tale of cellulosic ethanol.

The only reason there are "private" companies in this area is due to the massive federal and state grants available.

I have not seen the latest Farm Bill, but the prior bill was loaded with additional funding for green energy research conducted in Universities and by Federal Labs.

A few years ago I visited a major university pilot plant that was designed to produce cellulosic ethanol. It was supposed to run on crop residue, but that was found to be too complicated chemically, so they were using newspaper feedstocks.

The conversion required batch processing through a series of 10,000 gallon processing tanks over a course of 8 months.

The yield? 10 gallons of ethanol.

1 posted on 06/23/2012 5:12:25 AM PDT by rusty millet
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To: rusty millet

The point is not being made in these articles and the Fox News story about this that the consumer is paying for this typical government fiasco. The refiners will simply add the amount paid for the EPA fine to the price of gasoline, and we get stuck with what really amounts to another tax.


2 posted on 06/23/2012 5:18:22 AM PDT by txrefugee
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To: rusty millet
Ah, nuttin' to worry about; the ever vigilant and "looking out for us" Republi-Tards in the House will be holding hearings any time now and be calling Lisa Jackson to testify and answer to this beyond ludicrous policy.

Thereafter they will dutifully introduce legislation to force the EPA to cease and desist from enforcing this insanity.

AND, I'm going to win the Powerball tonight...even though I have not bought a ticket!!!

3 posted on 06/23/2012 5:18:39 AM PDT by Conservative Vermont Vet
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To: rusty millet

It is going to happen very soon. I went to the public dump where I purchase fine mulch and rough mulch for yardwork, and was told that they were directed by the State of North Carolina to divert all much from public sales to Bio-fuel production. It is happening.


4 posted on 06/23/2012 5:19:44 AM PDT by Jumper
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To: rusty millet

EPA has got to go away.


5 posted on 06/23/2012 5:22:10 AM PDT by hadaclueonce (you are paying 12% more for fuel because of Ethanol. Smile big Corn Lobby,)
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To: rusty millet

Can you name the FOUR branches of gov’t?

Here, let me help;

1. Executive
2. Legislative
3. Judicial
4. Regulatory


6 posted on 06/23/2012 5:28:31 AM PDT by umgud (No Rats, No Rino's)
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To: umgud

According to LibThink, you have the order wrong —

1. Executive > Regulatory (co-equal, imperial)
2. Judicial (As long as it enhances the power of Executive>Regulatory)
.
.
.
.
3. Legislative (for comedy relief)


7 posted on 06/23/2012 5:32:50 AM PDT by Uncle Ike (Rope is cheap, and there are lots of trees...)
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To: Jumper

Sure beats using corn although I dislike the whole idea of screwing up gasoline.


8 posted on 06/23/2012 5:39:16 AM PDT by mcshot (God bless the USA! OMG PLEASE vote ABO or OWW and our Country dies.)
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To: Jumper

“...they were directed by the State of North Carolina to divert all much from public sales to Bio-fuel production. It is happening.”

At a cost of...

....subsidized by the taxpayer.

The Navy is pretty excited about biodiesel from algae, which is more cost effective than cellulosic ethanol (at about $26/gallon). They were “directed” to purchase this fuel.


9 posted on 06/23/2012 6:10:41 AM PDT by rusty millet
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To: rusty millet

(Don’t tell the EPA about the fairy dust additive to gasoline that makes it over 100 mpg.)


10 posted on 06/23/2012 6:28:26 AM PDT by CPOSharky (zero slogan: Expect less, pay more. (apologies to Target))
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To: rusty millet

Do you or any FReeper know if the EPA or portions of it is self-funded like OSHA? They may need these “fines” to make budget.


11 posted on 06/23/2012 7:16:02 AM PDT by 1010RD (First, Do No Harm)
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To: CPOSharky
(Don’t tell the EPA about the fairy dust additive to gasoline that makes it over 100 mpg.)

If there was such a magic dust, rest assured the EPA would quickly figure out a way to either massively tax it or declare it illegal.

Better gasoline mileage is the last thing they want despite their public displays to the contrary.

12 posted on 06/23/2012 7:26:42 AM PDT by upchuck (Need is not an acceptable lifestyle choice; dependent is not a career. ~ Dr. Tim Nerenz)
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To: rusty millet

is this Al Armendairz’s, of the EPA, first CRUCIFICTION???


13 posted on 06/23/2012 7:33:03 AM PDT by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.)
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To: rusty millet

I know this is operating as a tax, but the rationale is so outlandish, I would have thought someone would have gone to court and gotten this reversed. This is the same as requiring flying an anti-gravity machine when it doesn’t exist or pay a fine.


14 posted on 06/23/2012 7:54:12 AM PDT by Truth29
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To: txrefugee

A fine of a few million dollars is nothing to the big oil companies so they pay the fines rather than spend millions in attorney fees to fight Big Government.

The sheer madness of all these regulatory boondoggles is frightening and dispiriting.


15 posted on 06/23/2012 8:43:14 AM PDT by wildbill (You're just jealous because the Voices talk only to me.)
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To: rusty millet; Interesting Times

Are the oil companies fighting this requirement in the courts? Or have the decided that it is less costly to pay the finds than fight the communists in the EPA?


16 posted on 06/23/2012 9:06:25 AM PDT by GreyFriar (Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
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To: rusty millet; Jumper

The reason for the Navy’s interest in algae bio fuel is that they can equip their ships with huge scoops and internal equipment that converts the algae into biofuel and thus the ships will have limitless range, unlike nuclear powered ships that need to be “refueled” every 5 years. That the ships will only be able to go as fast as a rowboat and not carry any weapons is irrelevant in the disarming of America age of Obomba.


17 posted on 06/23/2012 9:11:46 AM PDT by GreyFriar (Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
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To: umgud
Can you name the FOUR branches of gov’t?

Where is the MSM?

18 posted on 06/23/2012 9:12:20 AM PDT by EGPWS (Trust in God, question everyone else)
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To: rusty millet

The refiners need to take this to court and nip it in the bud.


19 posted on 06/23/2012 9:28:54 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied.)
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To: rusty millet

EPA: "CRUCIFY THEM!!!"

20 posted on 06/23/2012 10:00:42 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (The media ignored the 40th anniversary of Bill Ayers' Pentagon bombing but not Watergate. Ask Why.)
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