Drought Forces White House To Consider Suspension Of Ethanol Requirement In Gasoline

The White House said Friday it has made no decision on whether to waive ethanol requirements for use by the nation's 250 million vehicles in the wake of a severe drought that's cutting corn yields.

On Friday, a United Nations official urged the Obama administration to suspend ethanol requirements under the 2007 Renewable Fuel Standard as fears of food shortages grow.

The law assures big demand for corn. It is popular in corn-growing states, making it politically difficult to waive the requirements.

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vdiv - 8/13/2012 11:18:57 AM

+1 Boost

It is about time they did this.

Switchgrass anyone? :)

chewy - 8/13/2012 7:16:19 PM

+1 Boost

Yeah, shouldn't be in the tank in the first place imo. Decreases your mpg along the way also.

bjones682001 - 8/14/2012 12:32:25 AM

+1 Boost

You do realize there is NO subsidy for ethanol production from the government.

You do realize the only way renewable fuels can fund research to use other renewable sources for fuel (such as switchgrass) comes from the profits they make off of ethanol.

You do realize much of the corn grown to make ethanol can NOT be used for human consumption.

You do realize that ethanol byproducts are used to feed livestock, so if you stop making ethanol a huge percentage of that corn will be feed to animals instead, not used for food.

You do realize the reason so much corn is grown is because of ethanol usage....if you stop ethanol, corn prices become so unattractive that farmers will grow other crows instead that are more profitable, meaning there will be way less corn.

You do realize that if corn prices DOUBLE your box of corn flakes will increase in cost by less than 25 cents.

You do realize in this drought the US is predicted to grow the 8th LARGEST CORN CROP in history.

It seems to me like people have NO UNDERSTANDING of how ethanol really works.

vdiv - 8/14/2012 11:38:30 AM

+1 Boost

"You do realize much of the corn grown to make ethanol can NOT be used for human consumption."

You do realize that crops that are fit for human consumption can be grown in its place. Sorry for your corn flakes, maybe you can switch to muesli, it's kind of better for you :p

bjones682001 - 8/14/2012 7:41:44 PM

+1 Boost

That is true....but farmers will only do it if it's equally as profitable as the corn they have now. If you were involved in agriculture you would realize NO other crop is currently grown on a mass scale in the midwest that can equal corn. So you might be hard pressed to convince farmers otherwise.

Also, you do realize we have NEVER RUN OUT OF CORN in history. I hope you also realize farmers have ZERO CONTROL over the market price of corn. Farmer's don't set the price of crops.....someone tells them what they are willing to pay for their product (which is why farming is one of the riskiest occupations in the world!).