Posted on 03/23/2009 4:48:56 AM PDT by thackney
The U.S. biodiesel industry will suffer from new trade barriers that threaten to end its lucrative export business to Europe, and in Texas the measure could be devastating.
As the largest U.S. producer of the alternative fuel, Texas has a number of companies that relied heavily on selling biodiesel in Europe and now face gaping holes in their businesses that may prove difficult to fill.
In addition, the Port of Houston has been a major hub for storing, handling and shipping biodiesel overseas, and companies in those businesses also stand to lose.
“The impact on Texas is going to be pretty great,” said Dan du Plessis, marketing and supply chain manager for GreenHunter Biofuels, which operates a 105 million gallon per year biodiesel plant at the Houston Ship Channel that had been exporting more than 90 percent of its product to Europe.
Last week, the European Commission said U.S. biodiesel exporters will now have to pay additional anti-dumping tariffs of up to 29 percent, and anti-subsidy duties of up to 41 percent. The tariffs are temporary for the next six months, but the commission will decide by this summer whether to extend them for five years.
The tariffs came after complaints last year that U.S. biodiesel producers were collecting both U.S. and European subsidies and then selling huge quantities of fuel in Europe at prices that undercut domestic producers.
European officials estimated that 80 percent of U.S. biodiesel production was exported in 2008.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
And they’re probably doing it with Obummer’s blessing. He SAID he wants to shut down the coal industry. And that’s just what he openly said. What he left UNSAID... well, you decide.
Can’t have you Americans taking business away from our covert funding Fathers in Saudi can we? /sarc
Have US based biodiesel producers even tried to sell their product here? I drive a diesel and have for nearly two decades. I know of one place within 100 miles of me that sells biodiesel and the availability is spotty at best.....
Barack Obama, destroying America one business at a time.
If you are willing to pay the price they get in Europe, you will have lots of suppliers.
Energy legislation in 2007 was supposed to require blending of 500 million gallons of biodiesel in 2009, doubling to 1 billion by 2012. But the Environmental Protection Agency still hasn’t approved the rules to put the law into practice.
Ditto - three diesel vehicles, combined fuel tank capacity is over 100 gallons. There’s a domestic market if they don’t want to sell overseas.
Last summer biodiesel was a good .50 cents a gallon cheaper than ULS diesel at the one place near me that had it. Biodiesel shouldn't cost what it does in Europe simply because we don't add the amount of taxes that the Euroweenies do to fund their Socialist schemes.
Figures that The EPA is gumming up the works, btw. Doesn't surprise me in the least.....
If I understand correctly, they don't either, making the great demand. The biodiesel didn't have the taxes as great as the petroleum based diesel. It gave them quite a price advantage allowing a bigger mark up and justified the transportation from the US.
This is yet another example that protectionism does not work. This example is of course O’s fault, but even many “conservatives” are joining the protectionist (and in some cases, more or less xenophopic) bandwagon.
Meanwhile, we continue to import oil in ever increasing quantities from terrorist supporting nations. Excuse me for a moment while I go bang my head against the wall.....
Subsidies are almost always a bad idea. The resulting distortion of the market is rarely following the full intended consequences.
It seems that the only thing the US Gubmint excels at is distorting markets through short sighted intervention. Far too many examples to list here, that's for sure.....
......that U.S. biodiesel producers were collecting both U.S. and European subsidies ........
Har... What a world we live in. These tariffs seem fully justified if the producers are double dipping.
Moral: When feeding at the trough, don’t hog the space and prevent others from bellying up.
Your unjustified bias is showing
LOL! Ready to pay $14.95 per gallon?
Not seen the EU VAT and the massive taxes on fuel of any type?
>didn’t have the taxes as great as the petroleum based diesel
Yeah only half a bazillion rather than a bazillion.
Please.
And still got the coal union to back him.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.