Posted on 08/06/2014 3:33:21 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Rand Paul (Ky.) are trying to avoid an ethanol landmine in Iowa.
Both Republican senators have criticized federal subsidies for ethanol, which are popular in Iowa, the state hosting the first Republican contest in the 2016 race for the White House.
Iowa kingmakers in the party such as Sen. Chuck Grassley want the Republican presidential nominee in 2016 to champion ethanol. That’s a problem for Cruz and to a lesser extent for Paul, who are both crisscrossing the state this week in advance of possible campaigns for the presidency.
Cruz has introduced legislation that would repeal the renewable fuel standard over the next five years. The standard mandates that gasoline contain 10 percent ethanol by volume.
“I believe we should pursue an all-of-the-above energy policy and that Washington shouldn’t be picking winners and losers,” he said.
Cruz argues the fuel standard has proven unworkable and costly, according to a summary of his bill.
He says it ignores the problem of an insufficient supply of biofuels to meet the standard.
Paul claims that bureaucratic regulations and corporate subsides have distorted the marketplace and actually made it tougher for energy developers to market new forms of clean energy.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Airports and Marinas sell it but we have a gas station in town that does too.
Don’t know why I put up with this ethanol crap.
I’m fixing to end this nightmare..
Why not just write all corn farmers a yearly government check...it would be cheaper than subsidizing the ethanol boondoggle.
How did Iowa get a death grip on National Politics.
Do what ever you please with you damn corn. Just don’t steal my money to subsidize it.
They don’t call us the Stupid Party for nothin.
I would very much appreciate our lunatic government ceasing to f*** up my small engines with their worthless ass moonshine ;/
No, they can build their own damn plants if there’s a market for that much alcohol.
Otherwise they could sell it to the coal miners and oil field workers.
bump
It’s nice to see so many here agreeing with Cruz and Paul.
I envy you
No such animal here.
Many new car makers won’t warranty the newest ethanol fuel “mandate”. Sooner or later, voters will buy a new car.
Good point, how in the name of God does Iowa get to set the pace for our party?”
AAU Track and Field Junior Olympics was in Des Moines this past week. We attended because my grandson was a participant.
Interesting state. I am sure there were more Blacks staying at our hotel as well as Meet participants than there are in the entire state. We heard no one the entire week speak Spanish and saw no one who appeared to be Hispanic or Mexican. What we did see were a lot of Muslim women working as housekeepers in various hotels and a whole lot of bicycle trails and outdoor parks. And, of course, in the dark of the night if you’re real quiet this time of year you can hear the corn grow. Everything was very lush and green and it looks like there will be a bumper corn crop this year.
Made a point to watch some of the ads running on local TV and all of them were anti-Joanne Ernst. Never could catch who was funding them but they were all hitting her hard on one single issue - she’s against a minimum wage increase. Never saw an ad in her favor and saw no favorable signs or billboards.
I agree with that. It hurts free enterprise to subsidize it.
On the other hand, when the government has perverted a free market in other areas, it isn’t really a free market in agriculture, either.
So, quit corporate welfare; quit sugar supports; quit NAFTA; etc., etc., etc. (I think you agree with all of this.)
One wrong doesn’t make a right, but farmers do have a legitimate complaint about the government having distorted a free market.
I agree with that. It hurts free enterprise to subsidize it.
On the other hand, when the government has perverted a free market in other areas, it isn’t really a free market in agriculture, either.
So, quit corporate welfare; quit sugar supports; quit NAFTA; etc., etc., etc. (I think you agree with all of this.)
One wrong doesn’t make a right, but farmers do have a legitimate complaint about the government having distorted a free market.
This Iowan understands the waste that is ethanol and the many harms it causes. I wish more of my fellow Iowans understood. Too many of them are similarly wastefully bowing to 'big wind" in Iowa.
Something I don’t understand about the Iowan lock on ethanol corn. It would seem if all mandatory ethanol was stopped, the corn farmers would still be able to sell every kernel at a profit. So why would Grassley and the Iowa GOPe be so hung up on the ethanol mandate?
Exactly!
It's not the corn farmers that would be endangered, it's the ethanol producers.
The ethanol mandate has created an artificial industry, with major investments in plant and distribution facilities.
In the absence of a mandate, many of them are out of business.
Many major corn to ethanol processors are not in “Corn Country”, so again, is Iowa really hung up on ethanol or are we maybe having a bit of smoke blown?
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