Webb Gets It, EPA Does Not, on Corn Ethanol Mandate
By: Lowell
Published On: 8/8/2008 7:23:23 AM
Jim Webb gets it on the disaster known as corn ethanol:
In the wake of hefty increases in commodity prices, Senator Jim Webb, D-Va., and Senator John Warner, R-Va., recently sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency expressing their support of a temporary waiver of the federal ethanol mandate.
The senators' concern stems from the impact the increased usage of corn-based ethanol has had on feed costs for Virginia's poultry, dairy and livestock producers, which, in turn, results in higher prices for consumers.
The increasing costs "have affected the livelihoods of many in Virginia's key agricultural sectors and could lead to job losses," Webb said, in an announcement about the letter to the EPA.
"I am also concerned about the adverse effects the mandate is having on consumers," Webb added. "It is my hope that by temporarily lifting the ethanol mandate, our poultry, dairy and livestock producers will benefit from reduced feed prices and will pass those savings on to consumers."
Webb also cites the importance of diversifying ethanol sources and hastening development of advanced biofuels, such as switchgrass, "which do not compete with food and feed sources, like corn."
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the Bush Environmental [Complete Lack of] Protection Agency has once again not protected the environment - or people who eat food, aka ALL OF US, in this case. Heckuva job, guys!
P.S. Did I mention that the corn ethanol subsidy program for wealth agribusiness companies like ADM represents pretty much everything wrong with Washington, DC?
Comments
I am shocked (Tiderion - 8/8/2008 7:36:20 AM)
that people still believe corn-based ethanol is a good idea. Switchgrass is so much better but honestly, biofuels just aren't what we hoped them to be. It would be a lot better for our economy and society to perfect batteries and use electric-only cars than use fuels. Rechargeable batteries only have one scientific issue and that is decreasing cost and size while increasing charge and life-time.
Either way we need a sound energy policy. I am not buying biofuels or windfall taxes and drilling more is just as dumb if not more so.
Depends... (ericy - 8/8/2008 7:40:22 AM)
Farmers in Iowa think it is a good idea because they can make some money. I don't grudge them that - this isn't my objection. If corn ethanol were a good idea from an energy policy point of view, then I would be all for it.
True (Tiderion - 8/8/2008 7:43:45 AM)
Every policy has someone benefiting and someone not benefiting. Farmers in Iowa are free to produce all the corn they can without damaging the soil in the longterm. God knows there are plenty of hungry mouths all over the world.
Most of the money goes to big agribusiness (Lowell - 8/8/2008 7:47:32 AM)
companies like ADM. That's bad enough, but the fact is that corn ethanol takes about as much energy (and TONS of water!) to produce as we get out of the system. And if THAT is not bad enough, it requires huge subsidies. And if THAT is not bad enough, it raise food prices, which of course is wildly regressive. And if THAT is not bad enough...well, you get the idea.
No disagreement... (ericy - 8/8/2008 12:54:11 PM)
But as long as folks in the corn belt are strongly in favor of it, the panderers in Washington will continue to push it.
Yeah, of course people making money off it (Lowell - 8/8/2008 7:49:44 AM)
think it's a good idea. What about the hundreds of millions of people around the world who are getting hurt badly by this?
In general (Lowell - 8/8/2008 7:49:01 AM)
biofuels are a really stupid idea. An exception MIGHT be something like algae that produces 100 times more energy out of the system than we have to put into the system, but that's about it. Energy efficiency and REAL renewables - not using land that could grow crops, forest, or support wildlife - to grow fuel. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Algae (Tiderion - 8/8/2008 7:53:11 AM)
happens to be one of the most magnificent things on the planet. Gross stuff really but it could potentially solve a future food shortage and be used as a good fuel. We use it along with various types of bacteria to clean up oil spills. Stupendous what science can do for us with these little creatures.
This was somewhat off on a tangent.
Photosynthetic microbes (Ron1 - 8/8/2008 11:37:55 AM)
are where the potential in biofuels lies. Eventually, either algae or yeast will be engineered to fix CO2 directly into bio-ethanol or maybe even bio-diesel. Sun/light + water + salt = (EtOH or hydrocarbons) , without the need for additional sugars/carbon feeds, should be feasible and would be a revolution technologically.
In theory other microbes (eubacteria or archaea) might work in this type of scheme as well, but I'm skeptical. Algae and yeast already have evolved the ability to create ethanol, the challenge is in metabolically engineering these organisms to produce it exclusively in the 'dark phase' of the photosynthetic cycle.
However, in order for any of this to become a reality, we'll need the government to drastically increase research funding in these areas. It's a fairly small space research-wise right now, I believe.
Alright! (legacyofmarshall - 8/8/2008 10:26:08 AM)
Once again I am proud of my senators. They just keep doing a good and better job.
Let's just hope Warner is as smart and effective as... Warner... especially on environmental issues.