What do you think about this bill on Ethanol?

Question

What do you think of the "Biofuels Security Act of 2006"? (I paraphrased the bill and provided some links.)

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s109-2817
(quotes are from bill)


“INSTALLATION OF E-85 FUEL PUMPS BY MAJOR OIL COMPANIES AT OWNED STATIONS AND BRANDED STATIONS”

Definitions of major oil companies: “…has not less than 4,500 retail station outlets…”

“…installs or otherwise makes available 1 or more pumps that dispense E-85 fuel…”

Percentage of gas stations required by year:
5% 2007
10% 2008
15% 2009
20% 2010
25% 2011
30% 2012
35% 2013
40% 2014
45% 2015
50% 2016 and each calendar year thereafter

Automobiles required to use biofuel by year
10% 2007
20% 2008
30% 2009
40% 2010
50% 2011
60% 2012
70% 2013
80% 2014
90% 2015
100% 2016 and each calendar year thereafter

Great overview on the subject:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-570288889128950913&q=biofuels&hl=en

Answer 1

i think its a great idea. helmut, you can make biodeisel out of ethanol, and you can convert many tractors over to run on ethanol. i know a couple farmers that did it during the 80s. btw ethanol isn't any more subsidized than any other agricultural product, that the prices are artificially kept lower, so we can still afford the products that are made out of them.

Answer 2

The bill deserves to die a death by filibuster if it cannot be defeated in any other way.

Consider what lies behind the need for such a law. It is the simple fact that unless coerced, people will not pay the premium cost of this product. Ethanol is already heavily subsidized to make it appear to compete with gasoline at the pump. The answer to the question, "How is ethanol to be produced?" is totally ignored. It takes diesel fuel to power the farm machinery that produces the corn from which ethanol is distilled. Then some hydrocarbon fuel must be burned to extract the ethanol from a corn mash. At its most efficient, you still get less energy out in usable ethanol than you must put in to make it.

Answer 3

first ive heard of it .. but it looks like they are continuing to stall large scale deployment of electric car technology .. probably so they can keep taxing a gallon of fuel watever it is ...