Today in Biofuels Opinion: “She was for it before she was against it. It’s a flip-flop that would make John Kerry proud”

Scott Baker, spokesman for Missouri Republican gubernatorial candidate Kenny Hulshof, on primary opponent Sarah Steelman’s change of position on the Missouri ethanol mandate: “She was for it before she was against it. It’s a flip-flop that would make John Kerry proud.” In April, Steelman said “As an economist, I am very concerned about the use of mandates in a free market system. However, the consequences of our nation’s continued dependence on foreign oil are so far-ranging and serious that I support mandates in the short run to help establish a market for renewable fuels.” This week, she said, “After two months now of campaigning around (the state) and listening to people who are hurting because of the high price of gas and food, it’s clear there have been unintended consequences from that mandate and I think it’s time to repeal it.

C. Ford Runge and Benjamin Senauer in Foreign Affairs: “Nearly a decade ago, we published an article in Foreign Affairs (”A Removable Feast,” May/June 2000) calling attention to global food insecurity and warning that distractions from the role of trade and investment in poor developing countries could erase the positive impact that increased agricultural productivity has had when it comes to reducing global hunger. Biofuels have become just such a distraction, threatening both food security and the natural environment. It is now time for governments to respond, not with more trade distortions and subsidies, but by ending the failed policies that have created an artificial industry that is emptying the stomachs and purses of the world’s poor.”

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