Posted on 11/11/2010 5:45:03 AM PST by MichCapCon
When the Republican majority is seated in the House of Representatives this January, many have high expectations that they will cut government spending as many of the candidates promised on the campaign trail. But the tricky question now is: Where to cut?
Some energy and environmental experts say they should begin with energy subsidies; specifically for ethanol.
Ethanol is a biofuel made mostly from corn in North America and can be used as an additive to gasoline. In many states, there is a mandated 10% blend with gasoline; the idea being to lower the amount of oil needed.
But many experts say this doesn't work.
"Contrary to popular belief, ethanol fuel does little or nothing to increase our energy security or stabilize fuel prices," wrote Kenneth Green, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. "Instead, it will increase greenhouse gas emissions, local air pollutant emissions, fresh water scarcity, water pollution (both riparian and oceanic), land and ecosystem consumption, and food prices." ...
(Excerpt) Read more at michigancapitolconfidential.com ...
75% of the corn in the US is burned for fuel.
We are burning the food of a rapidly more hungry world.
$1.00 worth of engine-destroyiing ethanol costs $1.70 in taxes totally wasted.
That’s a good place to start.
Turning food into fuel is a really stupid idea.
Especially when we have shale that could do the same thing without raisng food prices.
Nice idea, but a few frantic phone calls from Archer Daniels Midland to farm state Senators up for re-election in 2012 will likely stop it in it’s tracks. :(
Not only all that, but ethanol sucks! It is well known that ethanol is bad for many engine types, but ethanol gasoline begines to deteriorate in a matter of weeks. On the other hand, regular gas can stay fresh for a few months. I don’t even trust adding fuel sabilizers to ethanol.
Drain all fuel out of your small engines when you put them away for the summer/winter. This includes running them until they stall out and lastly drain the bowl of the carburator. This is the only way I have learned(the hard way).
I replaced one carburator on my hedge trimmer. I have also replaced fuel lines on my lawn mower and rebuilt the engine on my lawn tractor.
Lastly , I blew the engine on my Toro 2 stoke snow blower.
I blame ALL of these problems on Ethanol in the fuel.
ALSO, DO NOT TO FORGET TO PUT MOTH BALLS IN A STOCKING ON YOUR ENGINE BLOCK TO KEEP THE MICE FROM NESTING IN AND AROUND THE ENGINE AND AIR INTAKES.
I nominate “RINO Corn Pimp” as the top political shorthand of 2010. Says so much in three little words. Well done! :)
Algae!
it will no doubt result in a wave of new George McGovern clones being elected out of the Dakotas and Iowa in the next election cycle, but I’m willing to take the risk.
One other Ethanol issue is the overwhelming amount of damage to fuel system components, most notably in small, two-cycle lawn and garden equipment. Recommendations are to ad StaBil to fuels to eliminate this, but this is only marginally effective.
I have had to rebuild five two-cycle fuel systems this Summer; two of them twice, even using StaBil and draining the fuel system after every usage. The OPEI (Outdoor Power Equipment Institute) could have played a valuable role in the Ethanol decisions, but evidently ‘overlooked’ doing so when they realized how much maintenance money was to be made on the part of powered equipment dealers and parts distributor networks.
But, of course, the planet has been saved, and we no longer have to drill for domestic oil.
As Ronald Reagan said 'Government is NEVER the solution, but the source of every problem' and now this obummer regime poking their noses & hands into every areas of our lives things will get PROGRESSIVELY WORSE (deliberate pun intended).
What can you smell?
Big wind in Wisconsin - 500 foot wind towers hemming in the countryside. http://www.jsonline.com/business/107011438.html
All to meet a Dem governor’s 20% “renewable” mandate.
We’re ruining the countryside for windmills and taxpayers are footing the bill for the shortfall.
And I don't have a big nose either.
One of my local farmers said that the people who built the plants, took the money and ran....and that most of them have shut down.
A good first start.
With ethanol added gas I was getting 15 mpg. With non-ethanol gas I am getting 18 mpg.
Good choice, bad addative.
Bad spelling.
While they’re at it, the subsidies on wind and solar power could use some trimming!
I read an article about a guy who made money producing solar power, and he didn’t even have to sell it! Just replacing his own consumption of grid power got him all kinds of rebates. And of course, the equipment was heavily subsidized. Ridiculous!
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