http://theruggedindividualist.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/to-global-warming-alarmists-hows-that-ethanol-mandate-going/
To global warming alarmists: How’s that ethanol mandate going?
Posted on May 12, 2014 by Roy Filly
President Obama is starting a now familiar drumbeat. Climate change (formerly known as “global warming”) is back to number one on the progressive/statist/altruist hit parade. This whole name change thing reminds me of when the singer, Prince, changed his name to “not-a-name.” He changed it to a “symbol” (for “love,” no less). He had to be introduced as “the singer formerly known as Prince.” The global warming alarmists never refer to Climate Change as the concept “formerly known as ‘global warming.’” Why is that, ask you? Because, answer I, there is no “global warming” going on. The latest predictions are for “global cooling.” Sadly, for the President, many of his pet notions of what to do about greenhouse gases, the so-called cause of climate change, are abysmal failures. One standout is the “ethanol mandate.”
[Source: The ethanol disaster, by Peter Suderman]
Let us consider some of the truly counterproductive aspects of the ethanol mandate. The ethanol mandate is part of the renewable fuel standard. This is a federal program that mandates the amount of ethanol that must be mixed with gasoline. The mandate began in 2005. I can understand that no “program” is going to work perfectly. There will always be cronyism, fraud, abuse, etc. However, as a citizen, I would at very least like to know that the foundations of the law are solid, that foundation being that ethanol is more environmentally friendly than gasoline alone.
In reality, the mandate is a serious problem for the environment, car engines, gas prices, and global hunger:
* Most green biofuels actually release more greenhouse gases than do traditional fuels. And while cellulosic ethanol — created from corn leftovers — was alleged to be a more environmentally-friendly biofuel, research indicates that it is also bad for the environment, releasing 7 percent more greenhouse gases than traditional fuels … It is also very difficult to produce.
* Models predict that increased use of ethanol will cause a decrease in ozone levels. However, a recent study found that the more ethanol used by drivers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the more ozone levels increased.
* Ethanol corrodes fuel lines and injectors, damaging vehicles. Moreover, because ethanol blends contain less energy than regular gasoline, cars receive substantially less mileage per gallon. Prices at the gas pump have also risen, because ethanol supply has not matched demand.
* Worldwide, food prices have risen as corn has shifted from a food source to an energy source, reducing the available food supply. According to the World Bank, a one percent increase in food prices leads to a 0.5 percent decrease in calorie consumption among the poor. Between 20 and 40 percent of the 2007-2008 spike in world food prices was due to increased use of biofuels.
* Just one 25-gallon tank of ethanol requires 450 pounds of corn — the same amount of calories it would take to feed one person for an entire year.
Progressive/statist/altruists never admit that their concepts are wrong. Plan to live with this nonsense for the foreseeable future.
Roy Filly
"I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves."
-Harriet Tubman-