Michael Giberson Next time you see one of those “This product may contain up to 10 percent ethanol” stickers on a gas pump, ask yourself why federal government biofuel policies are forcing you to help increase hunger and hardship among poor Guatemalans. Sure, politicians in their comfortable offices in Washington, DC, didn’t intend to help …
AND: In other alternative transport news, Bright Automotive has folded. The company, launched at the Rocky Mountain Institute in January 2008 – within a month of the passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
Michael Giberson If you read Jonathan Adler’s post at the Volokh Conspiracy (and reposted at PERC’s Percolator blog), it makes the EPA seem a little silly for insisting on fining companies when it would be impossible for companies to comply with the law. But don’t blame the EPA, which is just implementing a law that Congress passed and …
Epa Fines Companies for Not Doing the Impossible Read More »
Michael Giberson The basic math is pretty simple: most gasoline in the U.S. has about 10 percent ethanol, so the the 45 cents/gallon VEETC subsidy reduced the price of gasoline about 4.5 cents. The subsidy expired at the end of 2011, so one reason gasoline prices have gone up a few cents since New Year’s …
Loss of Ethanol Subsidy Boosts Gasoline Prices a Little, E85 Prices a Lot Read More »
Michael Giberson Sometimes politicians and lobbyists make claims that deserve to be laughed at in the most public way possible. Here is an example from the ethanol lobby, via The Hill‘s Congress Blog: US ethanol makes history by sacrificing a subsidy By Bob Dinneen, president and CEO, Renewable Fuels Association – 01/05/12 11:26 AM ET …
Claims by Lobbyists That Deserve to Be Laughed at Read More »
Michael Giberson The Des Moines Register has one version of the story – the agribusiness industry decided it could do without the subsidy since the renewable fuels mandate seemed securely in place: So established is corn-fed ethanol that the industry allowed the expiration of the 45 cents-per-gallon tax credit for ethanol production, as well as the …
Michael Giberson Congress asked the National Research Council to evaluate the economics and environmental effects of the advanced biofuels mandate in the Renewable Fuels Standard (“RFS2”). The result? It isn’t pretty: barring unforeseen technological advances that dramatically reduce costs or oil prices consistently in the neighborhood of $190 a barrel or higher, RFS2 just doesn’t …
Lynne Kiesling A happy amendment to my excoriation of the Senate yesterday for their procedural crankiness in failing to pass the elimination of ethanol subsidies … today the proposal made like a phoenix and was put on the floor again (WSJ, sub reqd), this time passing 73-27. The author of the WSJ article is not …
Lynne Kiesling Although the federal government is actually in a budget crisis and our elected so-called representatives claim to be dealing with it, they are acting rather like they are in denial, or still embroiled in such petty partisan bickering that they refuse to make difficult choices with short-run costs and long-run benefits. Take ethanol …
They Can’t Even Pull off the Ethanol Subsidy Repeal … Read More »
Michael Giberson The House of Representatives budget battle has produced a few shots at the ethanol industry, including “Sullivan of Oklahoma Amendment No. 94,” a proposal to prevent the EPA from taking steps to encourage the sale of gasoline with higher ethanol content for use in newer cars. The amendment succeeded, 285-136 (12 not voting), …
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