Florida's Ethanol Bill Under Repeal

[Rich Z]

http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Et...135134243.html

Florida's Ethanol Bill Under Repeal

Three years ago the state adopted fuel standards requiring that every gallon of gas sold in Florida contain 10 percent ethanol. Now efforts are underway to repeal the requirement

Reporter: Whitney Ray
Email Address: news@wctv.tv
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Three years ago the state adopted fuel standards requiring that every gallon of gas sold in Florida contain 10 percent ethanol. Now efforts are underway to repeal the requirement.

State and federal standards require gas stations to sell a mixture of gas and 10 percent ethanol in an attempt to wean drivers off oil.

But efforts are underway to put that plan in reverse by repealing the 2008 state law that set the standard in Florida.

Representative Matt Gaetz is leading the charge. He says drivers should be allowed to choose what kind of fuel they want.

"Consumers ought to be empowered to make the choice about what kind of gas they want in their automobile. If ethanol works, if it's something that can ultimately reduce dependence on foreign oil I'm all for it, but I think the choice ought to belong to the consumer."

Gaetz' bill passed the House Energy Committee Tuesday on a party line vote, with Democrats trying to keep ethanol in gas and Republicans voting to lift the standard.

There is a lot of conflicting information out there. Opponents say it takes more than a gallon of gas to produce one gallon of ethanol and biofuel is actually bad for your car's engine. But supporters say the octane in fuel can actually boost your car's performance and lower greenhouse gasses.

While the facts are being disputed, the message is becoming the focus. Florida's Agriculture Commission says ending the ethanol requirement would send all the wrong signals.

Supporters of removing the 10 percent requirement say trucking ethanol into Florida from the Midwest does more harm to the environment than good… and until there's a more efficient method, the state is better off with no ethanol requirement.

Yeah, get that CRAP out of our vehicles and out of our gas powered equipment!

[Kap142]

Originally Posted by Rich Z

http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Et...135134243.html



Yeah, get that CRAP out of our vehicles and out of our gas powered equipment!

Have said it all along and will continue to say it Ethanol is crap. Get it out of my market place.

[navy2kcoupe]

10% ethanol = about 10% reduction in my gas mileage. Gotta use more to go the same distance.
Where's the "savings" in that.......? Since I don't pound on my engine, I don't notice
any performance drop off, but I'm sure it's there.
Andy

[Rich Z]

The whole thing just doesn't make sense to me. There are people starving on this planet because of lack of available food and/or arable land to grow food upon, and we are using food stuff to make gasoline? If it comes down to a choice between eating and driving, which do you think most people will choose?

So what are the benefits (if any) of this ethanol stuff except to make some people wealthy by governmental fiat?

And this might very well explain why gasoline prices have increased dramatically the last few years. Do you really think the oil companies will sit back and let their profits decline because some of their profits are now being siphoned over to the ethanol producers? If you are selling less of a product and want to still make the same quarterly or yearly profit, what do you HAVE to do?

So, let's see, prices have gone UP for gasoline, even with the ethanol additive. Performance and mpg has gone down. Food crops and the land they are grown on are being utilized for ethanol instead of food production. Damage is being caused to internal combustion engines and the systems that support them by ethanol.

Where's the beef on that plate?

[vett boy]

Originally Posted by Rich Z

The whole thing just doesn't make sense to me. There are people starving on this planet because of lack of available food and/or arable land to grow food upon, and we are using food stuff to make gasoline? If it comes down to a choice between eating and driving, which do you think most people will choose?

So what are the benefits (if any) of this ethanol stuff except to make some people wealthy by governmental fiat?

And this might very well explain why gasoline prices have increased dramatically the last few years. Do you really think the oil companies will sit back and let their profits decline because some of their profits are now being siphoned over to the ethanol producers? If you are selling less of a product and want to still make the same quarterly or yearly profit, what do you HAVE to do?

So, let's see, prices have gone UP for gasoline, even with the ethanol additive. Performance and mpg has gone down. Food crops and the land they are grown on are being utilized for ethanol instead of food production. Damage is being caused to internal combustion engines and the systems that support them by ethanol.

Where's the beef on that plate?

Most states get a kick back for mandating ethanol .Farmers get federal subsidies for the crop .We're always payin someone off for something ---another "Govt can't do anything right ."

[Kap142]

So whatever happened to this?

[Rich Z]

Beats me. I think sometimes legislators offer bills of this nature just to "coerce" some silence money from various segments of industry. Now with them all going hog wild with "super PACs" I expect this sort of thing to get MUCH worse. Basically this allows our "representatives" to be mercenaries with their votes going to the highest bidders. I mean, you don't REALLY think someone is going to donate millions of dollars to an election campaign without expecting something in return, now do you?

[Kap142]

I agree fully. It's too bad we are watching an ever accelerating "decline and fall of........"

[mickeystoysz16]

Yup the ethanol mandate was because of the big agricultural lobbyist groups in the first place. Like Rich said, because we are buring basically corn the demand increased leading to food inflation.