Posted on 02/02/2015 4:31:53 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
As he prepares for frequent trips to Iowa to explore a presidential bid, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will be pushed to champion ethanol — an issue he has in large part avoided.
Walker has dodged stating his views on the Renewable Fuel Standard, a federal program that requires transportation fuel sold in the United States to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuel, which in practice is usually ethanol made from corn.
The GOP governor has declined to take a position, saying last year he wanted to strike a "careful balance" on the issue that — when higher amounts of ethanol are proposed — pits grain farmers and the ethanol industry against other interests, including Milwaukee engine manufacturer Briggs & Stratton Co. and the outdoor power equipment industry.
Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, said it was "inconceivable" that Walker or others could campaign in Iowa without saying whether they support the federal standard.
"He's going to get asked that question a lot," Shaw said.
Walker acknowledged last week he would have to get off the fence — if he runs.
"That's something that, should I be a candidate in the future, I probably would have to take a stand. But I'm not right now," he told reporters Wednesday after addressing the Chippewa Valley Rally at a Madison hotel.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency missed a deadline to update the Renewable Fuel Standard. It had proposed cutting by 3 billion gallons, or almost 18%, the amount of ethanol in the U.S. fuel supply.
Critics of ethanol say a glut in oil production has made the biofuel additive less important as an alternative to foreign oil....
(Excerpt) Read more at jsonline.com ...
Here’s his biography, at the time tho article was written. In short, he does have a lot of executive experience and those that oppose him admit that he’s extremely competent.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/who-is-ted-cruz/2012/08/01/gJQAqql8OX_blog.html
We elect Politicians on what they promise, not what they have done. Otherwise, we would have a very limited field!
raising corn for ethanol is a waste. Corn should be food for humans, cattle and other livestock.
I wonder where all the corn we grow would go if ethanol became extinct.
Mr. Walker, do us all a favor and just stay out of the Presidential running; I already had qualms about you, and now that I’ve heard about your thinking ethanol is good eating for vehicles, not people...
Editorializing the headline.
Maybe you pro-aborts don’t appreciate it but Walker, Perry have shut down abortion clinics.
Let alone, Ted Cruz’s amnesty bill: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/us/cruz-tries-to-claim-the-middle-ground-on-immigration.html?pagewanted=all&_r=3&;
Then vote for baby-killers.
That must be what people don’t like about Walker, that he like Perry and even Cristy have shut down the abortion industry in their state.
You are absolutely correct, in fact, the Union and Leftist support is very shady and their dirty tricks are pulled everywhere.
Walker, stared down Unions, closed down abortion clinics.
Cruz, worked as a lawyer I guess.
Iowa and their ethanol blackmail have way to much power on electing candidates. When will that ever change?
I know the American people don't want amnesty, but I also don't think they want to appear heartless and throw families out who have been here decades and paid taxes and have committed no crimes. Liberals have managed to take God's call to love others and turn it into give me your wallet and everything else I want. They shame publicly anyone who doesn't do it their way and call them child, women, black, homosexual..... haters. I'd like to see the constitution followed, but unfortunately most Americans don't know or care what the constitution says, including many people who call themselves conservatives. I sure hope I'm wrong, but I worry that Cruz's stand on immigration will cause him to lose the primary and we will end up with Bush or Christie or Huckabee.
I'm going to have my favorite and two backups. I'd love to see Ben Carson or Sarah as president but I don't think either can win so I eliminated them. I think a Cruz/Walker or Walker/Cruz ticket could win. I just don't want to see a rino or democrat win.
The article states, then re-states, then re-states another 3-5 times, that Walker HAS NO POSITION on ethanol. But you are arguing that he is all for ethanol. Weird.
I’m all for Ted Cruz, but I don’t see the point in attacking the second best (likely) guy by manufacturing a smear on a position that he hasn’t taken.
Go after Bush. Really.
Even Mitt Romney didn’t pander on ethanol
Making ethyl alcohol from corn is a ridiculous waste of food and is nothing less than a government subsidy for agribusiness, an enormous waste of water, which results in a poor excuse for an engine fuel (all petroleum products have an energy content of 18,000 BTU per pound, alcohol has 12,000 BTU per pound). Petroleum products have good film strength and are lubricious which reduces friction on moving parts. Alcohols have poor film strength and tend to increase wear rates on moving parts. Alcohols chemically attack certain commonly used elastomers (gaskets and seals).
When ethyl alcohol is produced by agribusiness they use the same methods that the good old boys down in the deep south use to produce "grandpa's sipping whiskey". They ferment a mash of corn and distill off the resultant alcohol leaving the spent mash that requires disposal. That is ignoring a much more efficient method using a chemical synthesis developed in the 1930's by Shell oil.
Natural gas is a mixture of several gasses (methane, ethane, ethylene, helium, carbon dioxide). Before the NG is pumped into the distribution system it is liquefied and then processed through fractional distalion to separate the mixture into methane which is sold as NG and several other gasses which are used as feedstock for producing various plastics. Shell developed a process using ethylene, steam, and a catalyst to synthesize ethanol in one step. The only impact results from diverting some of the ethylene that would ordinarily be used to produce polyethylene (Most of which winds up in the land fills anyway).
That begs the question do we really want to produce more crappy engine fuel? If we must, we really should use the most efficient method and stop pouring tax dollars into a method that destroys food and unnecessarily drives up food prices.
Regards,
GtG
PS BSME W/ AAS in internal combustion engine design & minor in fuels and lubricants
I would never, EVER vote for anyone who is in the least bit in favor of abortion.
Maybe into $2.00/lb. ground beef instead of $5.00/lb.
It seems Iowans want their goodies like everyone else. Oppose their crony capitalist intentions of ethanol at the GOP peril it seems.
Cattlefeed, chickenfeed
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