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More than 50 Republican representatives sent a letter [PDF] to the Environmental Protection Agency last week urging the agency to lower the mandate for ethanol production in response to both the recent flooding in the Midwest and drought in the South.
They argue that one-third of the country's corn crop will be used for ethanol to meet the Renewable Fuel Standard, and while the weather this year will cause a decrease in supply of corn, the RFS will increase demand significantly.
"Domestic food prices are rising twice as fast as inflation and the rising price of basic commodities has been passed along to consumers," they wrote. "The renewable fuel standard is a significant factor in the increased cost of commodities, which is causing severe economic harm for low-income Americans and livestock producers."
The RFS is part of the mandate in the energy bill passed by Congress last December, which calls for 36 billion gallons of biofuels to be added to in the fuel supply by 2022. Fifteen billion of that is supposed to come from corn ethanol by 2015.
Comments
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Biodiversivist Posted 7:55 am
02 Jul 2008
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
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Tasermons Partner Posted 10:59 am
02 Jul 2008
Previous rumors suggested he did it on behalf of the oil interests.
Oil...cattle...environment...just so long as it gets done, I guess?
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John former Marine Posted 10:05 pm
02 Jul 2008
Il faut cultiver notre jardin.
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Sam Wells Posted 1:08 am
03 Jul 2008
Onward through the fog
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justlou Posted 1:21 am
03 Jul 2008
When you build your case on delusions, expect more lies and propaganda to hold it up.
The Republicans do have the more logical and reality based case to make here, but it does not help that some of their main advocates are from Texas which tends to make this more of a technocratic argument between special and regional interests (oil patch vs. corn patch).
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amazingdrx Posted 1:23 am
03 Jul 2008
Too bad democrats can't join in the move to kill ethanol. That's politics. Most voters still think ethanol is green and clean. Mass media delusion at work.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin
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caniscandida Posted 7:37 pm
05 Jul 2008
Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.
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