Ethanol rises above partisanship

[Omaha Steve]

Published Monday, November 11, 2013 at 12:30 am / Updated at 1:05 am

By Joseph Morton

WASHINGTON — Two Iowa congressmen are setting aside ideological differences to wage a united fight in defense of the corn-based ethanol industry, an economic engine in the Hawkeye State.

Coming from the left is Rep. Bruce Braley, a Democrat from eastern Iowa who is running for the state's open U.S. Senate seat. From the right is Rep. Steve King, an outspoken hard-line conservative from northwest Iowa with a history of making provocative comments.

The pair will appear together Tuesday at a Capitol Hill event hosted by Iowa State University's Bioeconomy Institute.

That session will feature experts on the current state of biofuels, including production and consumption, supply and demand, market conditions and other aspects. The goal is to blunt gathering momentum for reductions in the Renewable Fuel Standard, the federal mandate that oil companies blend a certain amount of biofuels every year into the gasoline supply.

FULL story at link.

[Laelth]

1. I read the last line of the OP as follows ... FAIL story at link.

btw, the link is missing.

Ethanol subsidies are a failure, and they need to go.

-Laelth

[hatrack]

7. Or, to rephrase the headline, "Money Rises Above Partisanship"

Twas ever thus . . .

[LuvNewcastle]

8. +1000

Couldn't agree more. It's also terrible for your engine. If it's avoidable, don't use it in your motorcycle, car, lawn mower, etc.

[B Calm]

2. All I know is, ethanol is hard on carburetors on 2 cycle motors!

[Nuclear Unicorn]

3. "...an economic engine in the Hawkeye State."

Considering what I've heard it does to other people's mechanical engines they should pray they receive a gentler fate.

[madville]

4. All about money and gaming the system

Subsidies, higher food prices, rigging the system for the farming cartels, sounds awesome.

[Berlum]

5. Mutant BioFool, Inc.

[IADEMO2004]

6. Link to story

http://www.omaha.com/article/20131111/NEWS/131119845/1685#ethanol-rises-above-partisanship

Ethanol subsidies ended Jan 2012, mandate continues.

cut

That session will feature experts on the current state of biofuels, including production and consumption, supply and demand, market conditions and other aspects. The goal is to blunt gathering momentum for reductions in the Renewable Fuel Standard, the federal mandate that oil companies blend a certain amount of biofuels every year into the gasoline supply.

Oil companies have lobbied furiously to get relief from the requirements, arguing that the standard is outdated and eventually calls for unreachable levels of ethanol usage. It appears that they have made some headway.

The current requirement stands at 13.8 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol for 2013. Instead of increasing that level next year as planned, the Environmental Protection Agency is contemplating reducing the requirement to 13 billion for 2014, Reuters has reported on the basis of leaked EPA documents.

Lawmakers from the oil producing Gulf Coast region also are looking at legislation to roll back the requirements

end

[edhopper]

9. As Krugman has said,

if the first primary vote was in New Jersey instead of Iowa, Diners would get subsidies instead of Corn.

[Dawson Leery]

10. Eliminate farm subsidies.