KY3.com reports that that Missouri Governor Matt Blunt is so deep inside the ethanol industry's pockets that he's using the lint for a pillow [paraphrasing]. The Gov wants The Show Me State's legislature to craft some new E85 pork barrel filler: $2m worth of tax credits for gas stations to re-equip with E85 pumps. As we've heard that it takes $200k to convert a gas station to E85itude, Blunt is either trying to fly under the radar or doing some symbolic showboating to appease the ethanol lobby. But wait, there's more! "Another of the governor’s proposals is for state income tax credits for people who buy E85. The credits would be 25 cents per gallon in the first year, 20 cents per gallon in the second and third years, and 15 cents per gallon after that, with a maximum of $500 per taxpayer per year." Blunt reckons that little deal would save Missouri's theoretical E85 [only] users an average of 70 cents per gallon over regular gas. Which is just as well, considering that the corn juice is some 28.5 percent less efficient than non-E85 gas.
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Perhaps Governor Blunt is planning to run for President in 2012, and wants to establish his corn cred with Iowa voters early….
Meanwhile the world will be needing all the food it can get in the near future while our moron politicians give more welfare dollars to the corn growers for a very INefficient fuel source. The U.S. could regain much political clout by preserving its crops for what they are supposed to be used for – food.
It’s the politicians’ white lightning.
“Well, the G-men, T-men, revenuers too
Handin’ out subsidies for this brew
Mighty, mighty pleasin’, pimpin’ corn squeezin’
Whshhhoooh … E – 8 – 5!”
(With apologies to George Jones)
You guys are thinking to near sighted. We need to begin getting gas stations converted to ethanol distribution for the coming of the ethanol holy grail… cellulosic ethanol.
Nobody cares about corn based ethanol, and we all can agree that corn can supply the control with enough fuel to power all US cars breaking ourselves from the Middle East.
Ethanol will work as a fuel if cellulosic technology advances and becomes a commercially viable solution within the next 5 years as all college researchers are saying it should.
Think of this scenario in the US.
1. Grow saw grass in every ditch (think along interstates) and large fields. Doesn’t have to be arable land since saw grass grows anywhere and it won’t affect American food supply…unless you eat saw grass regularly.
2. Place MANY ethanol plants across the US. These plants will serve to supply refined ethanol regionally alleviating any problems with transportation logistics. In other words, you harvest the saw grass, dump it in a rail car, or truck and ship it to a ethanol plant very close buy, refine it, and distribute the fuel to regional gas stations.
3. From a national security standpoint, say a terrorist doesn’t like us not buying as much petroleum from the Middle East anymore and decides to bomb a plant, then the other regional ethanol plants pick up the refining load and distribute with minimal impact to the economy. This is true energy independence! What about a hurricane or tornado wipes out a plant, again, pick up production regionally around the affected area and adjust supply.
The US sits on tons and tons of coal and can start making nuclear power plants so the energy increase won’t be a problem.
Correction to above comment, paragraph two.
Nobody cares about corn based ethanol, and we can all agree that corn can not supply the US with enough fuel for cars.
Better inside the ethanol industry pockets than the oil industry’s pockets like our current illustrious President and Vice President. They have cost the lives of nearly 4000 brave soldiers over nothing but lies in an attempt to steal Iraqi oil. Gov. Blunt sounds like a true American hero to me. He understands the difficult situation we are facing with Peak Oil and is trying to do something about it. More power to him.
@97escort:
Just because our current foreign policy and dependence on oil leave a lot to be desired does not mean that Gov. Blunt’s plan is a good one. For one thing, you don’t need crop land to grow saw grass, but if saw grass is more profitable to grow than corn (or whatever), what would you choose to grow on your crop land?
Remember, one side being wrong doesn’t automatically make the other side right.
Too bad he is not offering tax incentives for coverting our cars to run on E85. I have converted mine from http://www.change2E85.com. But I’ll take tax incentives for buying E85 as I drive a ton. Also Ethanol is 28.5% less efficient than gas only at atmospheric pressure. When put under compression like in an engine, it becomes more efficient and your fuel loss is only 5-15% less.
In Missouri all grades of gas (except premium) are required to have 10% ethanol. This will lower your mpg 1-2 mpg, oh and it costs the same.