By Edward Niedermeyer
February 20, 2008 -
E85 ethanol is methadone for America's oil addiction; it lets us believe we're kicking a bad habit. Which is fine if we could exercise our judgment as consumers. As taxpayers, E85's a done deal, on both the federal and state level. The Bradenton Herald reports that Florida politicians have already shelled-out some $25m in taxpayer-funded (who else?) grants to "alternative fuel developers." The "Farm to Fuel" initiative is set to throw tens of millions more in the same direction. As a member of the National Steering Committee of 25×25 (25 percent of America's fuel farmed by 2025), Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson is leading the pigs to the trough drive towards U.S. energy independence. From his taxpayer funded website, Bronson makes a Wall Street-style pitch for ethanol: "In the past decade, there have been great strides in biofuel technology and manufacturing facilities, substantially improving the efficiency of this fuel source. Florida will be the site of great advances in the development of fuel and energy alternatives, which is why we are pushing our 'Farm to Fuel' initiative so aggressively." In case you were wondering.
Subscribe to New Content Alerts5 Comments on “ E85 Boondoggle of the Day: FL Grants $25m to “alternative fuel developers”– and then some ”
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POWERED
February 20th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
If not ethanol what then? In a Post Peak Oil world we can not afford the luxury of peakiness. Oil receives large subsidies in the form of wars for oil, the oil depletion allowance and the SPR. The blender’s credit is as much a subsidy to oil as it is to ethanol, since the credit is collected by the the oil companies. I don’t hear them complaining about the reduction in their taxes.
Good luck to ethanol slammers, they will need it on their bicycles. Maybe we should have a series called The Truth About Bicycles.
February 20th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Please, before we get into this conversation…
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?s=ethanol
February 20th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
especially this one…
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/editorials/alternative-fools-e85/
February 20th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Good luck to ethanol slammers, they will need it on their bicycles.
Being reluctantly middle class, I simply don’t believe that ethanol, fool cells or air cars are ever going to benefit me. By the time any of them is the only choice, I won’t be able to afford it.
February 20th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
If Charles Bronson can’t get the US on the road to energy independence, then I’m afraid I can’t be convinced that the cause would ever succeed.