I used to be a middle of the road guy. (read:moderate) Until I came to the realization that being in the middle of the road meant that I was callous, indifferent, wishy-washy, and ethically and morally vague. I decided that it was time to actually decide what I believed rather than take the easy way out and be in the middle.
I guess I don't want to make this personal. I do however want to call BS on everyone preaching. None of you will spend 5 minutes of your own time on what you "believe" in this thread. Yet you see yourself high and mighty anyways. Take action and do something. But...... Since that won't happen. I could care less about your point of view you yell from behind a keyboard. I'll do what i believe is best. Happy corn rainbows FTW!
Is E85 good for the world? No. However, you guys are trying to convince someone who just doesn't care. And frankly, E85 is incredibly miniscule in importance compared to alternative energies. Preach for something a lot more important like taking advantage of nuclear energy. The magnitude of difference nuclear power could have for our entire world, makes E85 seem like absolutely nothing.
This, "in the grand scheme of things, e85 is meaningless" argument is completely fallacious as is the "quit preaching, take action" argument. ofspunk, by signing the petition, you're taking action. By voting with your dollar and supporting the fuel, you're taking action. Do you not think this affects the e85 market? Do only grand sweeping legislative actions have any meaning to you? Does anything have any meaning to you other than your own desires? We have limited power, but for someone who professes not to care, you seem to be doing your part to keep e85 alive. As mix said, "as long as I get mine..." I agree with the push for nuclear, MNSubie22.
The law involved in this debate is The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 signed by GW and supported by a majority of congress (democrats at that time). Title 2 Section a sets minimum numbers of gallons of biofuel to be produced at certain years. It also limits the number of gallons produced by cornstarch that count toward goal. The only time that ethanol production from corn is economically viable is when the cost of a gallon of gas is within 90% of the cost of a bushel of corn. The subsidy is paid to the blender of the fuel not the farmer and is directly reflected in the price at the pump. Farm land prices in Iowa are at historic highs due to commodity prices. John Deere reported record 4th quarter earnings and another banner year. We are enjoying cheap gases prices now but we are one world crisis away from that changing. Say the embargo of Iranian oil being debated now. 7 days away from the expiration date. Price of corn today is 619.50 cents per bushel.
sneefy - did you see this? http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/23/b...s-way-for-new-nuclear-plant-construction.html
That is not the only law being debated here, but is absolutely part of it. Total subsidies for corn-based ethanol have to account for the subsidy for simply growing the corn as well. That link is encouraging. Now let's build the damn things already! Nuclear needs to play a larger part.
I wish that i would have never read this thread! I thought that it was bad enough that i had to pay for my own gas and now I come to find out that i'm paying for everyones corn booze to boot!? What a country we live in. I'll sign the petition for everyone to drop the E85, fill up with 93oct and get a can of octane booster or 3! lullz
One of the reasons given for the blender subsidy is this law. 2015 (I think) has specific requirement both total and what can be produced by corn. Gosh what happens if we don't meet them, nothing. Really. I sort of justify myself that by running e85 and being catless there is less of a impact of greenhouse gas impact. That and it is now easier to get e85 on my normal daily driving route than 93 or 92. There is a tax rebate for the retailers for putting in the "biofuel" equipment. Holiday has e85 now. Freedom stations too. I think the media has made it clear to the consumer that e85 isn't cost effective even with the current pump price. I rarely see a line at the pump and when I do it is because a jackwagon has parked phkedup to fill his pick up with e10. I'll never give it up as long as I can buy it with the same ease I do now. Subsidy or not. In my turbocharged WRX it is so much fun. Once the gas prices go crazy I'll go back to car pooling. You are all stupid and we are doomed. Hello 2012!
Um, I'm doing something by NOT signing this stupid petition. They don't need a petition to end the tax subsidy, since it is just going to end on its own. You are the only one preaching, if you can even call it that. More just shilling for the thing you want or like. Again, "I don't care as long as I get mine." "I could care less about ...." If you could care less, then why don't you. The correct usage is "I couldn't care less." meaning you care so little about it that it is impossible for you to care any less about it. "I'll do what I believe is best." again, roughly translated "I don't care as long as I get mine."
I saw this today and thought it was pretty cool.... a step in the right direction. Seaweed Gas Story - Gizmodo Who Needs Gas When You Can Run Your Car On Seaweed? Some folks bang on about biofuels being the future of car fuels. In reality, though, they're expensive, and that's largely because they're a pain in the ass to make. The solution might be seaweed. Think about it, and being able to use seaweed to make biofuel would be great: it grows underwater so wouldn't get in the way of growing crops; it grows like stink without any fertilizer or irrigation; and — here comes some science — its structure, or more accurately a lack of lignin-a complex sugars, should make the process of breaking it down fairly rapid. Only, the sugars in seaweed are mighty tricky to convert into ethanol. "The form of the sugar inside the seaweed is very exotic," Yasuo Yoshikuni from Bio Architecture Lab told Scientific American. "There is no industrial microbe to break down alginate and convert it into fuels and chemical compounds." But now, workling with the University of Washington in Seattle, Bio Architecture Lab has developed a microbe capable of digesting seaweed and converting into ethanol, reports Scientific American. Based on the far-from-friendly bacterium Escherichia coli, it can turn the sugars in edible seaweeds into fuel. The reaction evens happens at a relatively low 25 Celsius, meaning it doesn't need much energy input to work. So, what about yields? Well, an analysis from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (pdf) seems to suggests that the US could produce 1 per cent of the gas it currently uses by growing seaweed in slightly less than 1 percent of its territorial waters. So, it's not going to supply all our fuel, but it might lend a helping hand. [Scientific American; Image: Foilman]
There will always be haters. The trick is to not give a ISH about what they say. I was wondering if they could use this research to do something with Milfoil. Wouldn't it be cool to use a plant/disease of the lakes and turn it into a new, better than E85 gas.... and give us our fishing lakes back!
I'm preaty sure I wouldn't mind both in my car... providing neither left my stick shift with new maintance concerns.
Yeah, but seaweed we wouldn't have to pay for. I agree about Sugar Cane.... we could even go back to producing it in Hawaii... they lost all of their Sugar Cane business to 3rd world countries. I know Barzil has been doing sugar cane with good results for 12+ years. I did a study on it in college in 2001.
The sugar cane in south america has been used shortly after the oil shortage in the 70's and very limited vehicles are allowed to run off of gasoline (don't quote me on this). Problem is they have alot of sugar kane we do not . pretty sure if we look at what resource we have a lot of and find ways to use them instead of oil like brazil and other countries did we would be better off, problem there is we should of started this back in the 70's when they did .
oh why thank you! i'm glad your happy for me. much appreciated. just stating an opinion... u mad bro?
Should I be, Your assumption is that this was directed at you. (removed my smartass comment) You obviously are having a bad day. Hope it get's better.
Natural gas! Sorry that doesn't make any economic sense. Hawaii doesn't have enough land to produce enough even for just the islands themselves. They started during WWII. Became law to have gas/ethanol mix during the 70s there.
