Posted on 08/02/2010 10:37:26 AM PDT by Willie Green
The week of August 2 the U.S. Senate is scheduled to begin debate on a new comprehensive energy bill introduced by majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada). Senators Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Richard Lugar (R-Indiana) have offered an amendment that is being strongly endorsed by corn growers and other ethanol supporters. The Harkin-Lugar amendment would:
"Bipartisan support for the Harkin-Lugar amendment is crucial. The timing is also crucial, because if majority leader Reid is unable to cut off a filibuster, our next opportunity to address energy legislation in the Senate will be in September—after the month-long Congressional recess in August," says Phil Lampert, vice president of development for Growth Energy. Growth Energy is an organization of ethanol producers and others who support ethanol and want to see this amendment included in the new energy bill.
Ethanol promotion group encouraging farmers to call senators
"We are asking farmers and consumers to call their senators and encourage the senators to endorse the Harkin-Lugar amendment," says Lampert. "The more voices our senators hear in support of this legislation the more likely they will get behind it and help it to pass and become law. We are encouraging people to call the U.S. Senate switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to speak with both senators from their state."
In another effort to boost the use of ethanol in the U.S., Harkin has called on Lisa Jackson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to approve the use of E15 (15% ethanol blend) in the nation's gasoline supply. Currently, EPA only allows the use of blends up to 10% ethanol or E10 in non-flex fuel vehicles.
Groups seek E12 immediately, pending EPA's approval of E15
Last week, the National Corn Growers Association, the American Coalition for Ethanol and the Renewable Fuels Association sent a letter to Jackson asking her to approve the use of E12 in gasoline nationwide. The letter states, "Based on the EPA's delay in acting upon the full E15 waiver and on our concerns that the EPA will restrict the use of E15 to cars made in 2001 and newer, we encourage EPA to approve the use of E12 for all motor vehicles as an immediate interim step pending any ongoing additional testing on E15."
The letter adds, "The EPA has a clear basis and the authority to approve E12. While we think delay on allowing the use of E15 nationwide is unnecessary and will slow progress on expanding the use of ethanol, and we all agree that approval of E12 is a vital interim step that EPA can and should take."
The letter makes it clear that approval of E12 is an immediate step that can be taken by EPA since EPA is already authorized to do so. But spokesmen for all three of the groups that are asking EPA for this approval are quick to point out that the groups remain fully committed to efforts to gain eventual approval of the use of E15 for all vehicles nationwide.
Include biodiesel tax credit incentive in new energy legislation
Biodiesel supporters also want Senator Reid to listen up. In a letter sent to the majority leader last week, the National Biodiesel Board is urging him to include renewal of the currently expired federal Biodiesel Tax Incentive in the new senate energy legislation. Congress let the $1 per gallon tax credit on biodiesel expire at the end of 2009 and it hasn't been renewed yet. Consequently, the US biodiesel industry, including most of the 14 biodiesel production plants in Iowa, is virtually shutdown. In Iowa, most plants are closed and a few are running at only half of their production capacity, or less.
The letter from NBB to Reid points out that the most reliable and immediate way of displacing imported petroleum for the production of diesel fuel is to expand the U.S. production and use of biodiesel. The letter says the best way to achieve this objective is to provide a retroactive, multiple year extension of the $1 per gallon federal biodiesel tax incentive.
The letter to senate majority leader Reid states, "The U.S. biodiesel industry shares your goal of displacing petroleum in heavy duty uses. Swift enactment of a retroactive, multiple year extension of the biodiesel tax incentive is the most effective and immediate way of achieving this worthwhile goal. The NBB respectfully asks that this common sense proposal ultimately be included in forthcoming energy legislation."
Ethanol hurts my gas mileage!!!!!
I can’t think of anything more stupid than making fuel out of food.
Mandate, require, subsidize. It’s all they know.
When I was driving from seattle to Kentucky one of the people I came across in the midwest said that ethanol was subsidised by the FedGov to the tune of something like seventy cents a gallon. He may have been full of it, but it did give me pause.
I had thought that modern wisdom was that ethanol turned out to be a big boondogle.
It’s all willie knows too.............
Just like about anything the Fed's do...
We always need to follow the money.....Wind, solar, ethanol, geo, wave power....it's all about pay to play.
FOLLOW THE MONEY!!!
Lugar is a loser.
Just what we need—higher food prices.
The easy part of going galt is reducing my spending. The hard part is voluntarily reducing my INCOME. It is almost impossible.
But it needs to be done.
Tell me - is it your assertion that once a bushel of corn is used for ethanol that there is nothing left?
I think that's generally true. For some crops - specifically sugar cane - it does make some sense. Of course, growing sugar cane for fuel does not act as a cost-driver for the entire food chain, as does corn. When you grow corn for purposes other than human or animal consumption, it drives up the cost of corn - which the corn farmers love - but it also drives up the cost of everything else. It's just stupid policy.
Graft, corruption and tax evasion seem to be requisite skill-sets as well.
I couldn’t help but notice your tagline (Thune/Rubio 2012).
So, where does Senator Thune stand on ethanol?
Reduce subsidies to all industry sectors, including farming, by 10% each year for 10 years.
If your vehicle manufacturer does not recommend ethanol blends of more than 10%, will this bill pay owners for the repairs to their vehicles or the loss of vehicle warranty as a result of being forced to use E-12 or E-15? Sadly the Ethanol Whores in Congress include Republicans as well as Democrats.
Just legislative whores doing what they do.
Henry Wallace-—one of Americas alltime frontline communists continuing to haunt us after all these decades.
Dear Willie Green,
The US corn cartel at it again.
Signed,
Dolemite
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