| Re: [GMCnet] Examples of Ethanol Damage [message #145148] |
Sat, 01 October 2011 06:25 |
Gary Casey
Messages: 448
Registered: September 2009
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That is as good an explanation of the problems with ethanol as I have read. It should be circulated to all legislators everywhere as it is certainly not unique to Florida. The only problem is that it may stretch the facts little to make its case. For example it states that the "inefficiency" of production is 129% - more fuel, which he says is "gasoline" is burned than it produces. I've read other studies that puts the inefficiency at less than 100% - but not much less. The fuel burned is not gasoline, but is mostly diesel fuel and natural gas. As a reference the inefficiency of gasoline production is about 10%. To invert that the efficiency of gasoline production is about 90% and that of ethanol is around 50%, more or less. And the diesel fuel burned to produce ethanol is mostly imported, so ethanol as a fuel does little or nothing to reduce our reliance on foreign oil.
And the fact that 1,700 gallons of water is required to make one gallon of ethanol doesn't necessarily mean that it all become "contaminated" as he contends. Still the waste involved in the production of ethanol is huge, and we are paying the bill. I noticed the other day that the federal subsidy for ethanol production is likely going to end - just as the federal requirement for 15% ethanol is being proposed. So they (for whom we provide lavish healthcare benefits, but that's another subject) are going to take credit for the savings by passing ever-higher costs on to the consumer.
My rant for the day.
Gary Casey
Received the below email message from Dist. 4 Representative Matt Gaetz (Florida House of Representatives).
Dear Friends,
Some members of the Florida Legislature gauge their success or failure on 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 When my time in the legislature ends, I’ll always be proudest of the outdated, burdensome and sometimes downright silly laws and regulations I fought to repeal.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 nine and ten percent ethanol – which I hope to scrap 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 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 alike.
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 dollars 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, “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 lawnmower engines.
But more than engines are harmed by our ethanol policy. The effect of ethanol mandates on global food prices (and the impact to 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 over 80 percent of food intake worldwide. The U.S. has played a major role in feeding the world with our corn exports tripling over the last decade. If more corn is inefficiently converted to ethanol - and not exported - our trade deficit will worsen and poor people depending 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% energy loss, meaning it takes more than a gallon of gasoline to produce a gallon of ethanol. Even the Obama Administration’s EPA 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.
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