Gave a presentation on ethanol gas issues to the Eunice (St Landry Parish) Rotary Club yesterday. Great folks and they gave me a very warm welcome. I get the same response every time I give this presentation: "I didn't know that! Thank you so much for informing us."
For readers from Iberia Parish........Gene sent me an e-mail reporting that the Leleux Grocery at 5106 LA Hwy 14 in New Iberia has converted to a Chevron Station and, of course, has ethanol gas.
The following is a very interesting article about the State of Florida's frustration with ethanol gas and plans at least one Congressman has to address it:
REP. MATT GAETZ: Let's junk Florida's inefficient ethanol mandate
September 28, 2011 9:24 AM
Some members of the Florida Legislature gauge their success or failure by the number of laws they are able to enact. I think a little differently. When my time in the Legislature ends, I’ll always be proudest of the outdated, burdensome and sometimes downright silly laws and regulations I fought to repeal.
One prime example is the Florida requirement that gasoline sold in our state contain between 9 percent and 10 percent ethanol. I hope to scrap this requirement during the upcoming legislative session.
The Florida ethanol mandate became law in 2008. The argument was that ethanol use could reduce carbon emissions and create “green jobs” in our state, given the prolific sugar growing in South Florida. We now know the benefits of ethanol were overstated and the negative consequences were overlooked.
Today, government is literally crawling into our gas cans with a product that can be harmful to our engines, our economy and our environment.
And with soaring gas prices impacting our pocketbooks, government should not mandate a product that cuts miles per gallon. Modest estimates show that Florida’s ethanol mandate is costing drivers a minimum of $75 per year — putting the most significant financial burden on drivers living paycheck to paycheck. That’s unacceptable.
Auto manufacturers are so concerned about the corrosive impacts of ethanol on engines that they are warning consumers. Hyundai, for example, tells buyers that “the use of ethanol may result in negative effects to cold starting, as well as engine driveability. … It will also result in reduced fuel economy.” Of specific interest to Floridians, the harm is even more pronounced with boat and lawn mower engines.
But more than engines are harmed by our ethanol policy. The effect of ethanol mandates on global food prices (and the impact on hungry people around the world) raises serious moral concerns with using corn as energy.
There are 3 billion malnourished people on Earth, more than ever before in human history. Corn and grains make up more than 80 percent of food intake worldwide. The United States has played a major role in feeding the world, with our corn exports tripling over the past decade. If more corn is inefficiently converted to ethanol — and not exported — our trade deficit will worsen and poor people who depend on our food exports will die.
Would harm to our engines, our economy and the most vulnerable people in the world be worthwhile if we could reduce dependence on foreign oil and help our environment? Maybe to some. The problem is that ethanol is an energy loser with serious environmental dangers.
A Cornell University research study concludes that ethanol generates a 29 percent energy loss, meaning it takes more than a gallon of gasoline to produce a gallon of ethanol. Even the Obama administration’s Environmental Protection Agency issued a 2009 report showing that ethanol mandates will increase carbon emissions in the short term and may need to be in effect for 100 years before significant reductions are realized.
Ethanol production is also highly water-intensive. It takes 1,700 gallons of water to produce one gallon of ethanol. In a state where water resources are scarce, diverting and polluting large amounts water is hardly an investment in a clean future.
Contrary to the promises, no substantial “green industry” has emerged from the ethanol mandate. By 2009, 9 percent of all ethanol plants had gone bankrupt. With sugar prices climbing, the vast majority of ethanol used in Florida is corn-based and shipped from other states. Higher costs, borne by Floridians, are needlessly subsidizing corporate welfare for a distant corn industry.
As a nation, we must never end the search for efficient energy alternatives. Ethanol, however, is an affront to the efficiency we covet. Hopefully, federal lawmakers will realize this reality if states such as Florida show leadership.
The best way to unlock America’s energy potential is to reduce the red tape that government winds around innovators and cutting-edge research. When we unleash investment in new technology, more creative outcomes can be generated in the private sector by the forces of a free market.
Energy independence is the challenge of a generation — but we won’t meet that challenge with costly feel-good laws that hurt people. Repealing Florida’s ethanol mandate is a good place to start.
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Matt Gaetz represents portions of Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties in the Florida House of Representatives. He lives in Fort Walton Beach.
"Pete" Landry.....................comments welcome at way2gopete@yahoo.com
