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One quarter of US grain crops fed to cars - not people, new figures show
Guardian UK ^ | 1-22-10 | John Vidal,

Posted on 01/24/2010 6:19:53 PM PST by icwhatudo

One-quarter of all the maize and other grain crops grown in the US now ends up as biofuel in cars rather than being used to feed people, according to new analysis which suggests that the biofuel revolution launched by former President George Bush in 2007 is impacting on world food supplies.

The 2009 figures from the US Department of Agriculture shows ethanol production rising to record levels driven by farm subsidies and laws which require vehicles to use increasing amounts of biofuels.

"The grain grown to produce fuel in the US [in 2009] was enough to feed 330 million people for one year at average world consumption levels," said Lester Brown, the director of the Earth Policy Institute, a Washington thinktank ithat conducted the analysis.

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2010; biofuelsarecriminal; biofuelsbeyondstupid; democrats; drillheredrillnow; economy; energy; envirofascism; enviromarxism; ethenol; globalwarming; grain; liberalfascism; oil; starvepeoplefeedcars
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"Continuing to divert more food to fuel, as is now mandated by the US federal government in its renewable fuel standard, will likely only reinforce the disturbing rise in world hunger. By subsidising the production of ethanol to the tune of some $6bn each year, US taxpayers are in effect subsidising rising food bills at home and around the world," said Brown.
1 posted on 01/24/2010 6:19:54 PM PST by icwhatudo
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To: icwhatudo
One-quarter of all the maize and other grain crops grown in the US now ends up as biofuel in cars rather than being used to feed people, according to new analysis which suggests that the biofuel revolution launched by former President George Bush in 2007 is impacting on world food supplies.

Hmmmm....I seem to remember the DemocRat Congress having something to do with that.

2 posted on 01/24/2010 6:22:28 PM PST by Virginia Ridgerunner (Sarah Palin has crossed the Rubicon!)
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To: Virginia Ridgerunner

Yep...Stupidity has no bounds but just leave it up to Congress to always make the wrong decisions! Too bad that people just don’t learn from their mistakes. These stupid “green” creeps would have us convert all food sources to energy to save the planet while we all starve to death.


3 posted on 01/24/2010 6:24:41 PM PST by Deagle
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To: Deagle
These stupid “green” creeps would have us convert all food sources to energy to save the planet while we all starve to death.

And they're going to revise the Lord's Prayer, so: "Give us this day our daily FUEL!"

Bleah.

4 posted on 01/24/2010 6:26:39 PM PST by thulldud (It HAS happened here!)
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To: Deagle

Sounds like starve a poor child feed a car policy.


5 posted on 01/24/2010 6:26:55 PM PST by ully2 (ully)
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To: icwhatudo

Never did think this was a particularly efficient means of stretching petroleum. That said, I’m struggling to remember who passed “Bush’s” bill in 2007...let’s see...who was it took control of Congress in ‘06? Wait, it’ll come to me...


6 posted on 01/24/2010 6:29:42 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: icwhatudo

Too bad we can’t convert petroleum into steaks and bread. There’s plenty of it all over the world.


7 posted on 01/24/2010 6:29:46 PM PST by TigersEye (It's the Marxism, stupid!)
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To: Virginia Ridgerunner

People don’t eat most of the corn raised in this country anyway. A big chunk of it goes to livestock feed.

If given a choice, most people would prefer food made with wheat flour rather than corn meal, IMHO.

However, as the price of feed has gone up, livestock production has suffered.


8 posted on 01/24/2010 6:31:12 PM PST by Cloverfarm (This too shall pass ...)
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To: icwhatudo

BIOFUELS are an OUTRAGEOUS RAPE of OUR FOOD SUPPLIES!!
Liberals really are Outrageous Haters of Human Life!


9 posted on 01/24/2010 6:31:48 PM PST by True Republican Patriot (May GOD Continue to BLESS Our Great President George W. Bush!!)
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To: icwhatudo

I watched Glenn Beck’s show on Friday about the Ukraine Holcaust and how they starved people while exporting their grain. I guess dictators all use the same play book.


10 posted on 01/24/2010 6:34:47 PM PST by Wisconsinlady
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To: TigersEye

You’ve got to love these replies - humor is the only way out I guess - ha.

Man, about four comments in a row that had me laughing...heh.


11 posted on 01/24/2010 6:37:06 PM PST by Deagle
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To: icwhatudo
ArabLaughing
12 posted on 01/24/2010 6:39:55 PM PST by preacher (A government which robs from Peter to pay Paul will always have the support of Paul.)
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To: icwhatudo
It's always something....

The 2010 Food Crisis Means Financial Armageddon

"The 2010 Food Crisis is different. It is THE CRISIS. The one that makes all doomsday scenarios come true. The government bailouts and central bank interventions, which have held the financial world together during the last two years, will be powerless to prevent the 2010 Food Crisis from bringing the global financial system to its knees."

13 posted on 01/24/2010 6:41:58 PM PST by blam
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To: Deagle

Might as well laugh about it. It’s going to suck just as much either way.


14 posted on 01/24/2010 6:43:32 PM PST by TigersEye (It's the Marxism, stupid!)
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To: icwhatudo

Burning shelled corn as a fuel can be a feasible way of dealing with the high prices of more conventional fuels such as fuel oil, propane, natural gas, coal, and firewood. Using corn as a fuel does not compete with the food supply needed for nourishment throughout the world. While it is recognized that malnutrition is a serious global problem, the world is not experiencing a food production problem. Instead, the world faces political challenges associated with providing infrastructure systems for food distribution and storage.

Contemporary agricultural systems can produce sufficient quality and quantity of food for the world’s population, with additional resources available so that agricultural products can be used as fuel, pharmaceuticals, and chemical feedstocks. Shelled corn is a fuel that can be produced within 180 days, compared to the millennia needed to produce fossil fuels.

From http://energy.cas.psu.edu/shellcorn.html


15 posted on 01/24/2010 6:43:36 PM PST by Western Phil
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To: blam
Green Energy kills!
16 posted on 01/24/2010 6:44:58 PM PST by TigersEye (It's the Marxism, stupid!)
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To: icwhatudo
which suggests that the biofuel revolution launched by former President George Bush in 2007 is impacting on world food supplies

So the Communist Guardian thinks it's Bush's fault, eh?

Well, unfortunately, Bush and the Pubbies were far too weak on these environmental issues. They caved, or they thought they could take credit for pushing popular green programs.

So, now we're stuck with it. And they can even blame it on Bush, although it was the left that really pushed it, and it was the Dem party that got the big paybacks from the factory farmers.

17 posted on 01/24/2010 6:46:28 PM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: icwhatudo

IIRC the Dems took control of Congress in 2006. They own any, and all failures since then.

Ethanol can’t make it on the free market. It has to be subsidized by government, therefore it’s mandated by the Lefties to further their control over our energy resources as though they are doing something positive.

It’s another Leftist con job, another scam by the Left. They also don’t give a damn about anybody being hungry. Hungry people are a positive for the Leftists. Hungry people are another “crisis” to exploit for more control.


18 posted on 01/24/2010 6:47:59 PM PST by rockinqsranch (Dems, Libs, Socialists...Call 'em What you Will, They ALL have Fairies Living In Their Trees.)
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To: TigersEye

Yes, it is not like we can change things...oh wait, we can! It just takes us too long to turn things around (too many hard core crazies in the voting arena)....so, I agree, we laugh while we can..

I say we all drink corn alcohol instead of putting it into our autos...heh.


19 posted on 01/24/2010 6:50:10 PM PST by Deagle
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To: icwhatudo
1. The ethanol can also be made from sawdust and many other products / by products other than grain. LET'S DO IT at least when the GOP is back in power, next year.

2. Lets drill, pump and refine OIL - AKA black GOLD changing the Balance of Payments, economic stability, jobs, and no need to produce ethanol; which sucks when used in out board motors any way.

20 posted on 01/24/2010 7:12:21 PM PST by Tuketu (Democrats shall be known as the National Democrat Party - NDP CASE CLOSED)
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