Comment to Gov. Directly On Ethanol

[jg61hawk]

This link will bring you to a proposed rule on POSSIBLY raising e-10 to e-15 or higher. It is very long, but somewhere around 66% percent to the bottom Ethanol shows up if you care to read it...or click the comment now button and just voice your opinion for or against higher levels of corn based fuel. See how politically correct I was... for or against I said.

Renewable Fuel Standard Program: Standards for 2018 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2019

1. Ethanol

Ethanol is the most widely produced and consumed biofuel, both domestically and globally. Since the beginning of the RFS program, the total volume of renewable fuel produced and consumed in the United States has grown substantially each year, primarily due to the increased production and use of corn ethanol. However.....

It is involved in this area way down there......

[denis4x4]

This has been covered 6 ways to Sunday. SEMA has been leading the charge to stop the increase as have other organizations. This is probably the only bi-partisan issue that will make it through the process as both sides agree on the government largess involved.

For the record, I had ethanol-free gas delivered to my house for $2.59 a gallon last week.

[daveymc29]

Can I drop by and fuel up? Probably need to fill a spare can or two to get back to corn fed California. Blaaaa!

[mike657894]

this is america if enough people sign a paper it can be put to a vote. blah blah blah. Every gear head I know of every group im a part of is tired of dealing with ethanol. And the corn thing is a goof of an environmental attempt.

[Railcarmover]

The environmental side of the ethanol use is a ruse.Ethanol in fuel is another way Big Ag can get into the taxpayers wallet,its always about money,and how lobbyists can steal yours.

[Dick Steinkamp]

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Originally Posted by jg61hawk

This link will bring you to a proposed rule on POSSIBLY raising e-10 to e-15 or higher.

Can you please quote the portion of the article you link to of the "proposed rule on possibly raising e10 to e15"? I've read the article and everything I see there says the opposite...

"...the EPA is proposing volume requirements for cellulosic biofuel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel that are below the statutory applicable volumes, and lower than the 2017 requirements."

"...Relative to the levels finalized in 2017, the proposed 2018 volume requirements for advanced biofuel and total renewable fuel are lower by 40 million gallons. For the first time EPA is proposing in 2018 to reduce the advanced biofuel and total renewable fuel volumes by the same amount as we would reduce the required volume of cellulosic biofuel."


This request to Congress to LOWER the amount of ethanol for use as fuel stems from the fact that production of ethanol is going down...I would guess due to the (relatively) low cost of gas and diesel and lower profit margins for ethanol producers.

[Dick Steinkamp]

Originally Posted by Railcarmover

Ethanol in fuel is another way Big Ag can get into the taxpayers wallet,its always about money,and how lobbyists can steal yours.

So true...but don't forget that big oil that does exactly the same thing. We are just more used to being screwed by the oil companies .

[Benson]

How does it make sense to put ethanol into gasoline when most cars have oxygen sensors??

1. The ethanol creates a lean condition which causes the O2 sensor to make the mixture run richer, which uses more fuel!

Ethanol makes less power than real gasoline so every driver in the country stomps down harder on their accelerator pedal to get where they are going.

2. If car has no O2 sensor the engine runs lean due to ethanol which results in it running hot and lacks power so more gas pedal is needed. To say nothing of the damage that the heat does to engine parts.

[jg61hawk]

In response to Dick's request I must admit I have not read the entire thing, it was passed on from an old boat forum. In reading what I have and in summary from the other forum they are not directly saying they will or will not increase levels...they are CONSIDERING the mandate of higher levels. Please see the RED area below. This "pushing the market" quote is a government way of saying you won't buy it now, but you'll buy it when that is all there is to buy. SEE BELOW QOTE:

"...Although we believe that use of higher ethanol blends is growing and can continue to grow, the low number of retail stations selling these higher-level ethanol blends, along with poor price advantages compared to E10, and a limited number of flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), among other considerations, represent challenges to the rate of growth of ethanol as a transportation fuel in the United States.
In the 2014-2016 final rule, we discussed in detail the factors that constrain growth in ethanol supply and the opportunities that exist for pushing the market to overcome those constraints. (83) That discussion generally remains relevant for 2018 just as it was relevant for 2017, though we believe that the supply of ethanol can be somewhat higher in 2018 than in 2017..."

[mike657894]

also the ethanol mandates drive up corn cost that drives up livestock feed cost. which if i understand it drives up food costs across the board.

[Dick Steinkamp]

The EPA was charged by Congress through the Clean Air Act to increase the amount of bio fuels used in transportation year over year. The EPA did not set this policy. The reasons given by Congress (energy self sufficiency, cleaner air, etc) may or may not be the ACTUAL reasons for the policy .

In any case, the EPA is MANDATED to implement the law. If they can't meet the goals set by congress due to a lack of supply of ethanol and/or bio diesel, they then have to at least suggest ways to increase the supply. Increasing the supply is going to be tough, however, if producers can't make any money doing it. Congress can further subsidize AgriBusiness in order to make it possible (doable since the majority of the members of Congress are from or sympathize with farming states), or they can lower the goals in the Clean Air Act.

The EPA really has no power to increase supply or lower the mandated goals.

SEMA and many forum posters () have pretty much made the EPA the scapegoat for all things E10. A great way for SEMA to get donations (to fight that evil EPA) and for posters to vent, but your vote for Senators and Representatives is the only real way to change anything in the Clean Air Act.

[mhsprecher]

Well stated, Dick.

Everything is a trade off and there are winners and losers in every transaction. The goal was "energy independence," so that might have been a reasonable approach at the time. The energy landscape has changed significantly since then, however.

FWIW, Henry Ford wanted the U.S. to change to ethanol for fuel so that farmers would get the income vs oil companies, which he hated.

[Tom Wesenberg]

4 and 5 are right on, and I was surprised to see a very liberal local college professor actually admit that ethanol is a big mistake.

Talk about food prices increasing due to ethanol taking the corn away from farm animals, have you checked the sales ads lately. Meat prices are out of this world.

[Dick Steinkamp]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

4 and 5 are right on, and I was surprised to see a very liberal local college professor actually admit that ethanol is a big mistake.

Talk about food prices increasing due to ethanol taking the corn away from farm animals, have you checked the sales ads lately. Meat prices are out of this world.

I think it is a mistake to think that if corn didn't go to ethanol, then it could all go to food (directly or indirectly) and then through supply and demand, food price would go down.

AgriBusiness is far to powerful to allow that to occur. Either subsidies would increase (more farms put into the "not growing corn" business) so corn profits would remain the same, or the Government would open up new markets (sign the Trans Pacific Partnership?) to "eat up" the excess.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Have you seen the PRICE of 10" CORN TORTILLAS!!!
Bill W.

[Railcarmover]

Hydraulic fracturing is allowing us to reclaim dominance in world crude supply.If handled correctly it can be a force for peace in the middle east and American dominance in the world economy,bringing the Chinese to heel....the corn boys will play along,all boats rise when the tide comes in..

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Our ethanol plant went Belly-Up---Hope they're makin' Tortillas & Salsa, now!
Bill Cooking