Three hundred people showed up for a public meeting held by the Environmental Protection Agency last Thursday regarding the agency's proposal to lower the mandated amount of biofuels in the national fuel supply next year. Out of the 300, 100 made their best case to persuade the EPA to maintain the status quo.
At issue was the 2007 Renewable Fuel Standard, which mandated 18.15 billion gallons of fuel be blended with renewable sources — ethanol, in particular — by 2014. The EPA walked back the mandate to 15.21 billion. Fuel refiners and the agency both agree it would be for the best, as the increased use of biofuel — particularly in the form of E15 (15 percent ethanol, 85 percent gasoline) — would overwhelm the infrastructure, forcing more fuel exports or lower gasoline production, leading to shortages, higher fuel prices, and potential damage of various engines.
Livestock producers and restaurant owners also back the EPA's move, due to seeing food prices rise as more corn and soy are sent to feed the CUV at the pump. According to food industry analyst Bill Lapp of Advanced Economic Solutions, the cost of fuel over food production over the past seven years stands at $12 billion, costs that are passed to the consumer at Applebee's or Kroger.
On the other side, biofuel supporters pleaded their case with the EPA to maintain the RFS at its current level. Governor of Iowa Terry Branstad in particular defended the mandate to the death, warning that the reduction would harm his state's corn industry — and the Corn Belt as a whole — to the point of crisis and job losses. The 2014 update would cut the ethanol portion from 14.4 billion to 13 billion, bringing blended fuel use in the United States to under 10 percent.
from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com
Put the internet to work for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment