Anyone remember the good old days, when TTAC manned the barricades in the fight against federal subsidies to a corn-based ethanol industry that made little sense for anyone but the corn-based ethanol industry? Rest assured, we haven’t de-listed our “E85 BOTD” (Boondoggle of the Day) category. We’ve just been a little… preoccupied with that other call on the public purse emanating from the city whose motto is, ironically enough, Speramus Meliora. And while we’ve been away, the price of imported oil– and thus gas– has dropped precipitously. Even copious federal subsidies (.50 a gallon “blender’s credit” to start) hasn’t been able to shelter the E85 folk from that particular reality. In fact, E85 sales are pretty much shot. Kaput. It’s got so bad (good?) that E10 (10 percent corn juice) is now falling by the wayside.
Ethanolproducer.com (EP) is the bearer of bad tidings (for some):
“The falling price of gasoline is making it possible for many Missourian fuel retailers to bypass the state’s renewable fuels standard and supply customers with standard gasoline instead of E10. Missouri’s standard, which was enacted Jan. 1, 2008, requires E10 to be sold when the price of the fuel is the same or lower than the price of unblended gasoline…
‘For the consumer, it ensures that they are always purchasing the lowest priced fuel possible,’ [Missouri Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association’s executive director Ronald] Leone said. It also ensures small business owners and retailers are able to remain competitive with Missouri’s boarder states, which don’t have any ethanol standards or mandates.”
EP’s article chronicles the “threat” to E10 mandates caused by “price provisions” in Louisiana and Oregon. Of course, “once the price of ethanol drops below the price of gasoline, the standard will once again take effect.” For them. As for the rest of us, hey, at least we’re not required to buy E85.
The title of the article is “Falling gas prices open loophole in Missouri law”; it takes a lot of arrogance to call a provision specifically designed to protect consumers and independent gasoline retailers a “loophole”.
The ethanol producers will likely be at the bailout begging table next. They don’t have a lot of employees, but there are a lot of grain states.
If you’re the ethanol producer reaping windfall profits from legislation designed to funnel money in your direction, it probably does look like a loophole.
The culture of entitlement is not limited to individuals.
Just one little remark here … it should read “kaputt” instead of “kaput”.
Otherwise I totally agree. Ethanol does not provide any solutions, but just more problems as the rainforest ist destroyed in order to produce more Ethanol.
Everytime I see the ethanol sticker on the pump I feel ripped off.
If they insist on giving tax dollars to corn farmers, ethanol producers, the oil industry and domestic automakers can I at least choose 100% dino juice at the pump?
Before you dance in the aisles: Google the term “Renewable Fuel Standard”. Federal law mandates an minimum biofuel gallonage to be sold every year (and increasing every year, naturally). The 2009 volume isn’t quite E10, but it’s moving in that direction.
Beyond that, EPA mandates the STL metro area (and KC as well, IIRC) to sell only oxygenated fuel. That means E10 ain’t goin’ away anytime soon. Ugh.
I don’t have time to do the numbers, but if someone wants to make this really factual, calculate the number of people in the State of Misery that will not be availed of that ‘loophole’.
It’s almost enough to make me want to move to Missouri… besides, it’s only Dec and I just spent 40 minutes snowblowing using a 13hp snowblower* – damn hard work for both me and it – and NW Mich is still under a winter storm warning until 1am. Not sure if I’ll have to snowblow another 8″ at 6 frickin’ AM tomorrow, and nearly didn’t get in to my own garage today after work. Must be nuts to live up here in da great white nort, eh? (North Mich)
Besides I’m pissed off and fed up with 37 to 42 mpg on my Prius since E10 came to all our stations, instead of the 45-50 mpg i’d gotten used to on real gas.
* in the UK I had a perfectly servicable CAR with only 26hp that’d go 80 mph, a Citroen Dyane.
There’s even a “loophole” for residents of St. Louis and Kansas City. All they have to do is cross the river to the tropical forests of East St. Louis, Illinois, or cross the street to the rugged mountains of Kansas City, Kansas to buy unadulterated gasoline. But keep this under your hat … if the Greenie Weenies hear about it, they’ll require all cars coming in to have empty gas tanks.
Menno, you sound like my brother recalling when he lived in Wisconsin. Way too much snow.
try that E10 garbage in your boat. The alcohol picks up water which is a terrible in a ventilated fuel tank (cars are unventilated) not to mention the whole system was just not designed for E10 and it just tears up the fuel systems, and here in FL you can not find pure gasoline anywhere. It’s a real problem.
It is hard to believe that with the knowledge available out there we would rather give our money to Dubai to build islands in the shape of palm trees than to give it to a farmer to buy a new John Deere. Makes my stomach turn.