INVESTIGATION INTO WHETHER CORPORTIONS RESTRICT ACCESS to BIOFUELS

[JohnWxy]

http://www.greencarcongress.com/ethanol/

Senators Request Investigation into Whether Corporations are Restricting Access to Biofuels

US Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) today asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate whether big oil corporations are knowingly restricting consumer access to alternative fuels like ethanol and biodiesel as a result of company policies.

According to an internal memorandum from a major petroleum company obtained by Senator Obama’s office, gas station franchise owners are prohibited from selling non brand-name renewable fuels like E85 and B20 from fuel islands or underneath canopies bearing the oil company’s name or logo. The memo also said that any alternative location of fuel pumps dispensing alternative fuels must be approved.

I believe that it is crucial for our national security and economic security that the United States lessen its dependence on foreign oil. And if big oil companies are standing in the way of consumers who want to fill their vehicles with cleaner alternative fuels made here in the United States, then I believe the American people deserve to know why.

—Senator Obama

Senators Obama and Grassley are requesting that GAO, the watchdog arm of Congress, analyze the current state of refueling stations that dispense alternative fuels like E-85 and B20 biodiesel. The investigation would examine whether any oil companies have policies or practices that directly or indirectly prohibit or discourage the construction, installation or operation of E-85 and B20 fueling pumps.

Separately, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission requesting action on “potentially illegal policies by major petroleum companies that discourage the sale of biofuels.” (Chicago Tribune)

He said the number of Illinois stations offering E-85 has climbed from 14 to about 100 since autumn of 2004. But most of that growth has been downstate. Cook County , with much of the state’s population, has only about 10 E-85 stations.

[Angry Girl]

1. LMAO (else I'll start crying)! It just NEVER ENDS, does it?

Chevron, ExxonMobil, Texaco et al. all announce record profits. The glaciers are melting, the oceans are rising, and Exxon is claiming the Valdez tragedy didn't hurt anybody (so they don't want to pay any fines). The corporate and political corruption in this country make me just want to scream. It's as if Orwell and Kafka and Bosch got together and created this sick, twisted world that we know as Amerika today.

[JohnWxy]

2. what makes me sick is there are so many suckers who persist in

arguing against persuing alternatives to fossil fuel. Like the Oil companies can really be trusted and we can get by with just developing hybrid vehicles which are very expensive and deliver not that great a savings in gas (in the real world). We still want to investigate hybrid technology but I think the benefits to be had from ethanol and other renewables are much higher and much more economically sound. But there are many powerful entities who are lined up against and trying to delay development of alternative renewable fuels.

Eventually, we will develop renewables,but it will be better if we do it sooner than later.

[Angry Girl]

3. In the 70's and 80's quite a number of alternative motors were invented

Most if not all were bought by companies like GE, GM, and Chevron so that these inventions would be shelved and forgotten, lest they disrupt the economic status quo.

If this is capitalism, there's something seriously wrong with it.

[JohnWxy]

6. Oligarchies form to protect their dominance in a market. They use

their economic power and the high cost of enterring a market to protect their tacit agreement not to completely compete. This sort of pressure always exists in the so-called free market. Oligarchies also protect themselves by finding those who will be their stooges (for a price thats where lobbyings comes in) and fight to keep the public from intervening in non-competitive market places. This protection always disguises itself as "protecting free markets from Government intervention" (this is where the Republican 'Friends of Fossil Fuel' come in). What they are really doing is protecting the dominant players from competition.

In this case, their has been a lot of protection from competition from alternative fuel sources, mainly renewables such as ethanol (ethanol represents the most imminent threat to fossil fuels thus it has garnered the most attention in terms of dis-information and counter-pressure to legislation which would help foster its development). Bio-diesel, a VERY promising fuel, is too small a factor to be a threat, right now. IT still has the image of a 'fringe movement' right now (only movie stars and 'pinko' environmentalists support it, so it must be suspect, like Flouride in the drinking water was in the 50's). But once it's value starts to be recognized it will get on their radar screen and they'll be producing all kinds of disinformation and hampering/stopping enactment of legislation (lobbying front) to help it's development.

The main thing is to keep people ignorant and confused as to the value of the renewables and confused in the economic analysis of them vis a vis fossil fuels. Thus promising technologies are delayed years or decades while we drift inexorably to a fossil fuel crisis caused by our lack of preparedness and the likely eventuality of a man made (terrorist attack) or natural (hurricanes, flooding, global warming, subsidence of Gulf Coast) catastrophe. We are currently gambling there won't be a significant disruption of the fossil fuel supply, putting our economy at great risk of recession because we are not developing alternative renewable fuel sources to at least meet 5% to 10% of our energy needs. This would provide insurance against a loss of supply of 5 - 10% without having a serious impact to our economy.

Corn based ethanol, already supplying 2% of our transportation energy needs is the cheapest and most practicable source to most quickly get us up to a 5% cushion on our energy needs. With a little more time starch based ethanol could be expanded to 20% of our demand and cellulosic ethanol (agricultural and forest product waste, switchback grasses) could be developed and brought on stream more quickly and more economically, with an already in place infrastructure (Corn based ethanol manufacturing facilities) and at a more efficient level of production. I've seen studies which predict cellulosic sources could provide 4 times as much fuel as starch based feedstocks. All the while, use of Corn based ethanol would be reducing Green House Gas production by 17 - 23% vs what fossil fuel produces. ONce cellulosic ethanol is being used it will reduce GHG by 85% compared to gasoline.

But all of this renewable fuels talk falls on deaf ears with the current administration (Big Oil is one of their major contributors). BUT I STILL FEEL IT'S WORTH IT FOR PEOPLE TO EMAIL CONGRESS AND STATE LEGISLATORS DEMANDING MORE SUPPORT FOR EXPANSION OF ETHANOL PRODUCTION and also more aggressive support of development of Bio-Diesel (a very promising fuel). Ethanol is just part of the picture, but it is the fuel that can be expanded most quickly and help reduce our dependence of imported fossil fuel and most quickly provide some protection from a oil supply disruption.

[rfkrfk]

4. so what? a BP station can't sell Shell gas

if somebody wants to start a 'no-name' gas station,
you can sell anything you want

[Strelnikov_]

5. Typical

Sploink

[JohnWxy]

7. The message you responded to perfectly reflected the oil industry's

attitude:

The oil companies consider ethanol a competitor. You can be sure nobody on Cheney's Energy Task force brought it up (at least not without preceding it with expletives). They sure do not want to see it developed at all.