By Robert Farago
January 21, 2008 -
In the grand scheme of things, in the face of a federal mandate calling for U.S. production of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels per year by 2020, a $55k grant to The Cornhusker State's Ethanol Board is a meaningless gesture. But ours is not to do or die; ours is to wonder why. According to Nebraska Farmer, "Funds will support workshops to train ethanol producers, E85 distributors and marketers for the direct marketing of E85 from producers to local retailers. The one-day workshops will be offered on multiple dates and cover EPA ethanol storage requirements, fuel tax incentives, ethanol safety and handling training, and E85 marketing and brand awareness." The money will come from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, The Clean Fuels Development Coalition, the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition and the Clean Fuels Foundation. "Ethanol has brought much in terms of jobs and wealth to Nebraska," says Todd Sneller, administrator of the Nebraska Ethanol Board. "By encouraging direct relationships between ethanol producers and their communities, drivers get a cheaper fuel for their cars and the number of E85 pumps in Nebraska increases." I wonder how much Todd gets a year…
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POWERED
January 21st, 2008 at 12:18 pm
I figured that ethanol would die a slow, but perhaps quiet death with its government subsidies, but with these federal mandates, E85 might die a much slower and howlingly-painful death stretching over decades and it may very well take the economies of several states with it.
January 21st, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Ethanol, AKA the “Archer Daniel Midland” subsidy, takes more energy to grow and process than you get…what’s the point.
I’m reminded of the story of the USSR farmer who fed bread to his pigs…when the waste was pointed out, the farmer replied that subsidized bread was cheaper than hog feed. It only makes sense in a perverse environment, not a purely capitalist one.
January 21st, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Feeding bread to hogs is smart compared to feeding corn to hogs. Talk about a waste of energy! I hope to see the stinkin’ hog factories we have here in Iowa shut down. Then I want to see corn exports stop. Turn it all into ethanol. The country would be better off in my opinion. Ethanol is here to stay. Get use it.
Congratulations to Nebraska on money will spent.
January 21st, 2008 at 8:23 pm
The only reason ethanol is 'cheaper' is because in NE, it's heavily subsidized by the gov't. You're paying for it, trust me. When you leave the state you find very quickly that it is not, in fact, cheaper, and that few people, in fact, support its production.
January 21st, 2008 at 10:23 pm
I would just like to point out I designed the body, suspension, and chassis of that solar car.
:)
January 21st, 2008 at 10:54 pm
kestrel:
Well done you. Care to write a rant about solar-powered cars?
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Robert:
It was fun to do, I was working with a great team of guys (and girls) but ultimately it is like driving a carbon fiber oven around.
The two most amusing moments
1) Topping out at 78 mph in a 55 mph zone
2) Getting pulled over by Texas State Patrol. For speeding and driving an illegal vehicle.