Posted on 01/03/2014 5:30:46 AM PST by thackney
Ethanol producers are panicking amid speculation that the ethanol mandate could be drastically reduced or scrapped entirely this year as the biofuel loses its allure and bipartisan allies and former friends team up against it.
December saw California Democrat Dianne Feinstein—a renewable fuel champion--coordinate efforts with Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn to come up with a Senate bill to get rid of ethanol from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), citing fears that corn-based fuel production mandates will harm livestock producers.
In November, Washington proposed cutting the biofuels mandate for 2014 by 16% to 15.21 billion gallons. This would be the first cut in biofuels requirements, which were ideally set to grow each year with incremental increases in renewable fuel targets laid out in a 2007 law.
For renewable fuel targets, this represents a major setback because not only is 15.21 billion gallons for 2014 much less than the originally intended 18.15 billion gallons, it is also less than this year’s mandate of 16.55 billion gallons.
Two years ago the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the E15 blend, which contains 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline, for vehicles manufactured in 2001 or later. There has been little progress towards widespread use of E15 though, and today’s blend is commonly E10.
The problem is that the RFS set its parameters too far ahead and predictions are a tricky thing....
(Excerpt) Read more at oilprice.com ...
It can only be a good thing to eliminate ethanol, period.
Uh politicians, how about the production mandates hurting consumers??
This might help Bakken producers
I don't see it having an effect in the next decade or so.
We don’t have a single vehicle that is 2001 or later. We have to drive quite a distance for “marine” gas (non ethanol)
True but now we will have the ethanol bail-out.
I have no sympathy for the 'losers'
If they were really smart, they took their profits and invested in underground fuel tanks, entire home generators and MRE's
I’m not sure most people realize how damaging Ethanol is to most vehicles, especially the engine. Mandating the e85 blend is just insanity.
Live by government central planning, die by government central planning.
Another meddling Feral Government boondoggle that has cost taxpayers billions of dollars (Maybe hundreds of billions) to waste energy in production of ethanol, reduce auto mileage, damage car engines and increase the cost of food.
But the corn and ethanol producers love the government subsidies which is nothing more than corporate welfare by politicians for their crony capitalist pals.
Burning food for fuel is very stupid. Raised world food prices and starved a lot of people.
I have had my tag line for a long time.
Ethanol had about as much allure as Barb Mikulski in a bikini.
Liberals are annoying and ignorant but ambitious - they constantly try to repeal the laws of economics, physics, and chemistry. A gasoline engine is just that.
Time for the EPA to go away.
Time for ALL the Departments and agencies that begin with the letter "E" to go away.
EPA, Energy and Education. Everyone of them is a total failure and an overwhelming burden on taxpayers.
I hate that ethanol and it takes more energy to produce it than it produces. All it did was give the corn growers an outlet
All renewable energy is that way. There is a place for biodiesal also, but mandating it drives the market upside down.
An election.
Expect a farm crisis later this year. Corn prices have dropped, and land is heading that way.
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.