The ethanol industry is pretty full of itself these days
They seem pretty confident in looking to dictate policy. Like a letter to Santa, you might say.
The largest oil and gas trade group in the U.S. has gone full circle on a proposal to allow year-round sales of fuels of higher ethanol blends — first backing it, then opposing and now supporting it again.
In a letter delivered Dec. 4 to the White House, the American Petroleum Institute joined a coalition of biofuel producers and fuel retailers asking President Donald Trump to push Congress to develop legislation on the issue…
The sale of E15 historically has been restricted in the summer due to air pollution rules restricting sources of emissions that may worsen smog, although the EPA has issued some short-term emergency waivers to keep it in use.
(Transport Topics)
Also (incidentally, there’s nothing politically progressive about the linked website):
The Renewable Fuels Association on (Dec. 1) called on the Trump administration to implement reciprocal duties on the import of Chinese agriculture products into the U.S., telling the U.S. Trade Representative in comments that China failed to satisfy commitments made in the 2019 trade agreement to increase trade into China for U.S. ethanol and distillers grains.
(Progressive Farmer)
Actually, and despite the Trump administration’s strong support of the environmental disaster that is ethanol fuel, I doubt the first of those will get anywhere in the do-nothing (except desperately try to protect Trump) House, much less past a filibuster in the Senate. The API likely knows that and is essentially engaged in a publicity stunt.
Regarding the second, the betting seems to be that SCOTUS will take away poor Trump-baby’s tariffs this month (I’m looking forward to the tantrum). However, there is a law in place that allows a president to impose tariffs of up to 15% for up to 150 days, along with other laws allowing presidential impositions of tariffs in some cases. That’s presumably what the administration will attempt, though whether that will specifically give the ethanol crowd its wish is, I suppose, an open question.
Meanwhile, some hideous policy goals were bandied about at COP30.
Though the text of the pledge itself is vague, as most COP pledges tend to be, the target embedded in an accompanying International Energy Agency report is clear: expand the global use of so-called sustainable fuels from 2024 levels by at least four times, so that by 2035, sustainable fuels cover 10 percent of all global road transport demand, 15 percent of aviation demand, and 35 percent of shipping fuel demand.
(Truthout)
This could be something where it’s actually really good that what’s adopted at these COP events tends not to happen. Given that legitimate clean renewables can do it all.
Comment from Joe Musich: Brazil seems to still lead the world in sugar cane ethanol production. Sugar cane will regrow. That variable gives a pretty nifty advantage over corn which does not regrow. As to comparable fertilizer use cane seems to have an advantage there as well. Ethanol production from corn could be going away. And yet these days where are the discussions about overpopulation ?
Thanks for your feedback. If we like what you have to say, it may appear in a future post of reader reactions.