Stupid is as stupid does

(originally posted June 23, 2008)


Obama Camp Closely Linked With Ethanol

Senator Barack Obama last July in Adel, Iowa. His strong support of ethanol helped propel him to his first caucus victory there.
By LARRY ROHTER
Published: June 23, 2008
When VeraSun Energy inaugurated a new ethanol processing plant last summer in Charles City, Iowa, some of that industry’s most prominent boosters showed up. Leaders of the National Corn Growers Association and the Renewable Fuels Association, for instance, came to help cut the ribbon — and so did Senator Barack Obama.
Then running far behind Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in name recognition and in the polls, Mr. Obama was in the midst of a campaign swing through the state where he would eventually register his first caucus victory. And as befits a senator from Illinois, the country’s second largest corn-producing state, he delivered a ringing endorsement of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
Mr. Obama is running as a reformer who is seeking to reduce the influence of special interests. But like any other politician, he has powerful constituencies that help shape his views. And when it comes to domestic ethanol, almost all of which is made from corn, he also has advisers and prominent supporters with close ties to the industry at a time when energy policy is a point of sharp contrast between the parties and their presidential candidates.
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Ethanol is one of those issues that people get drawn to, like moths to a flame, without reason or logic. They buy ethanol as a "green" and "renewable" source of energy that will lead to less carbon emissions and energy independence. That ethanol is a "clean" fuel is a canard, as witnessed by the EPA's raising the limits of air pollutants from ethanol plants from 100 tons per year (in attainment areas) to 250 tons per year. Meaning that they increased by 250% the amount of suspended particulates, VOCs, NOX and other pollutants that contribute to haze, smog and are respiratory irritants in parts of the country where there is little air pollution. The change in the law also states that the ethanol plant can maintain it's permission to exceed limits even if the area gets listed as non-attainment in the future. So even if the ethanol plants pollute the air around them the EPA cannot make them control their emissions as long as they maintain the permit.

But forgetting about the air pollution that the ethanol is supposed to save us, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that burning a fossil fuel (usually natural gas) to convert food into a less efficient fuel makes no sense. The US cannot afford to convert it's main food staple into fuel. And the countries that purchase US corn cannot afford it either. Corn prices effect meat, poultry and dairy prices as well, many of the same countries dependent on US corn are dependent on meat, poultry and dairy as well, or they use US feed corn stocks for those purposes.

These knee jerk policies, which will only be exacerbated by the recent flooding in the mid-West, are based on hopes and dreams and promises of a clean, green (and recently the debate has changed to include an energy independent) future, but are scientifically and economically unsound.

At first people pushed for corn ethanol as a clean, renewable fuel. Then it was hailed a a solution for energy independence. But the only thing it has resulted in is paying almost $5.00 for both a gallon of milk and a gallon of gasoline.

My new slogan: Corn is food, not fuel.