Today in Biofuels Opinion: “how many more farmers will be beguiled by biofuels? Resist? They’re here already! You’re next!”

July 15, 2008

Kenneth Rapoza in the Wall Street Journal: “RFA president Bob Dinneen argued that ethanol has played a central role in reducing oil imports and lowering gasoline prices. But that played right into Unica’s hands, because Unica’s argument is that if U.S. corn ethanol lowers gasoline prices, as Dinneen says, cheaper Brazilian ethanol would lower prices even more. While U.S. ethanol goes for around $2.90 a gallon, Brazilian ethanol goes for around $1.40 a gallon. Even with the $0.54 per gallon duty, Brazilian ethanol is around $0.90 cheaper per gallon.”

Harry Nicolaides, Eureka Street: “With many of the world’s poorest nations teetering on collapse because of rising food prices and civil unrest, how many more farmers will be beguiled — and subverted — by biofuel’s blue-sky promise before the speculative greening of the gold rush ends? Resist? They’re here already! You’re next!”

Today in Biofuels Opinion: “There are 21 farm states, and that’s 42 senators…They’re going to have ethanol.”

T Boone Pickens, reporting a conversation in 1996 with Bob Dole: "He said, "Ethanol is, you say it's a bad fuel." I said, "Come on Bob, you spend more money making it than importing it." And he said, ...

Today in BIofuels Opinion: “We haven’t even begun to see the impact on the cost of food.”

Kent Barton, plant spokesman for Moroni Feed: "I don't believe consumers understand what's going to hit them next year. We haven't even begun to see the impact on the cost of food." Gary Truitt, Ho...

Today in Biofuels Opinion: “Domestically produced fuels bring jobs and money back to our communities”

From the Tucson Citizen (Colleen Crowinshield, Clean Cities manager for the Pima Association of Governments): "Did you know that an average of one farmer a day retires due to lack of crop demand? Does...

Today in Biofuels Opinion: “We don’t want it to be a pro-ethanol hearing but a pro-fact hearing”

Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, remarking on food vs fuel hearings scheduled for next month by the Senate Agricultural Committee: "We don't want it to be a pro-ethanol hearing but a pro-fact hearing. ...

Today in Biofuels Opinion: “corn farmers and ethanol producers know they are running a cruel hoax on the American consumer”

Walter E. Williams, professor of economics at George Mason University: "Ethanol is so costly that it wouldn't make it in a free market. It's easy to understand how the public, looking for cheaper gaso...

Today in Biofuels Opinion: “We’re subsidizing oil, gas and coal … [McCain] supports that. Yet he doesn’t want to support our farmers.”

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver: "We’re subsidizing oil, gas and coal companies to the tune of tens of billions of dollars a year. [McCain] supports that. Yet he doesn’t want to support our farmers in rural...

Written by Jim Lane · Filed Under Opinion