Ethanol Subsidies: GOP Candidates Voice Views At Iowa Forum

Two months away from Iowa caucuses, GOP candidates are making their pitches on a key energy issue in corn country.

Several Republican presidential candidates attended a forum on Tuesday, voicing their views on ethanol subsidies. An Omaha World-Herald report shows four GOP hopefuls going against government assistance, headed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

"I do not believe the bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., ought to be picking winners and losers in the energy sector," Perry told the crowd in Pella, Iowa -- located about 40 miles southeast of Des Moines.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) echoed Perry's sentiments, going against ethanol subsidies. ABC News highlighted Bachmann's belief that energy industries "need to stand on their own."

Standing on his own on the subsidy side was former House Speaker Newt Gingrich -- a candidate with a political history in this area. BusinessWeek notes that Iowa farmers have benefitted in the past from ethanol subsidies generating greater demand for corn.

But to Gingrich, the decision has national security implications. Back in 1984, he voted in favor of ethanol subsidies. Today, he still sees positives from a global standpoint.

"We decided it was better for money to go to Iowa than to Iran, better for money to go to South Dakota than to Saudi Arabia," said Gingrich at the Iowa forum. "I still believe that and I'd like to see some kind of encouragement for every vehicle to have flex-fuel capabilities and every gas station to be a fuel station not just a gas station."

Missing from the scene was Mitt Romney -- a candidate who has been noncommittal on ethanol subsidies. Back in Mid-October, the former Massachusetts governor addressed the issue, telling the Des Moines Register:

"I'm not running for office based on making promises of handing out money. And you're not looking for that, but I don't want to suggest, 'Hey, I have money for everything. More money for schools, new projects, economic development, more money for farmers.' We're going to have to live within our means."

Spokesperson Eric Ferhnstrom clarified Romney's position in an email to HuffPost, adding: "He supports ethanol but he doesn't believe any subsidy is permanent."

Back In July, an Iowa Republican poll showed that a majority of self-described state Republicans placed spending cuts as a bigger priority than ethanol subsidies. On Jan. 3, county conventions will be the deciding factor, as the Iowa caucuses kick off the 2012 GOP primary season.

Comments

[Genders]

05:30 PM on 11/07/2011

Corn ethanol is a terrible idea. near net zero energy gain and tripled the price of food around the world.

Ethanol is a lousy fuel, it corrodes engines and has a very low energy density.

Waste bio fuels, Bio char are the way to go. No food, no virgin corps used at all, only what we dump or let rot in the fields emitting methane into the air.

Waste bio char, stops our dumping, and the char used as fertilizer is massively carbon negative. Make the char generates heat and electricity plus bio oils, gas and char. win win win win.

More sophisticated technologies can use the energy in ewaste and recover the valuable metals as well.

Time to close the loop.

[The Shadow]

06:36 PM on 11/17/2011

I’ll agree that there are better choices than corn to make ethanol. However, corn ethanol has not tripled the price of food.

Ethanol is not a lousy fuel; it has an octane rating of 113 and when mixed with regular gasoline ( 88 octane ) it is turned into a much cleaner premium. If ethanol was in fact lousy, NASCAR would not use E15 ( 15% ethanol ) and Indy Cars would not use 100% ethanol.

The corrosive effects of ethanol were addressed by the auto industry is 1992 and further with Flex-Fuel cars.

I do agree with you about Bio-Char. It has great potential as a carbon sink while being used as a fertilizer. And it has the added potential to empty our landfills while providing fuel and heat.

[GoldEnergy]

11:42 PM on 11/06/2011

Big Oil is Perry's largest campaign contributor...of course he is going to be against gasoline's #1 competitor in the fuel market - ethanol! Funny how Perry says nothing about the many billions of dollars in subsidies given directly & indirectly to the oil/gas industry every year for the past 100 years and now is calling for the end of any support for a fuel that is renewable, domestically produced, extremely clean burning and a much better fuel than the junk we call gasoline.

[Bullitt08]

06:18 PM on 11/16/2011

Gasoline's #1 competitor should be Natural Gas, not Ethanol from Corn.
Chevrolet, Ford, VW, and Fiat sell tri-fuel (gasoline, ethanol, natural gas) cars in Brasil and they can sell them in the USA.

A simple Federal law requiring that 80% of all new gasoline engine cars and light trucks purchased by Federal, State, and Local governments be tri-fuel capable from the factory and that these same models be available to the general public would get the job done. We could start this as early as October 2012.

[The Shadow]

06:51 PM on 11/17/2011

I would like to see cellulosic ethanol be the main competitor to gasoline. We can use the existing gasoline infrastructure ( pipelines, storage structures, stations ) to distribute and sell ethanol. And in addition, ethanol is biodegradable while gasoline is highly toxic.

Since 2009, there has been a discussion about changing the minimum ethanol mix for the US from E10 to E15. That would be a huge boost for the ethanol industry.

[cagog]

07:03 PM on 11/03/2011

"""WAIT""""" i mean supporting ignore it.

[cagog]

07:02 PM on 11/03/2011

NO, the GOP are oil drilling, oil spilling, and oil sapporting demons that will not stop at nothing to fulfill their villainous plans to drill the entire world until theirs noting left.

[vermoce]

02:31 PM on 11/03/2011

Ron Paul would end all foreign aid and bring the troops home. So none of our money would be going to Saudi Arabia.

Ethanol can stand on its own if the federal government would stop requiring folks to get a federal permit. Some areas in our country can grow sugar cane and others sorgum. These are more efficient for making ethanol.

[Wyatt Phoebe]

12:34 PM on 11/03/2011

Ethanol requires fossil fuels to make it .

[Trekkiefandom]

11:35 AM on 11/07/2011

No it doesn't.

[glassjaw]

12:16 PM on 11/03/2011

FOOD FOR FOOD

FUEL FOR FUEL

[Trekkiefandom]

11:37 AM on 11/07/2011

We export over 70% of the corn we grow.

[mike1608]

11:21 AM on 11/03/2011

Isn't anyone paying attention? The ethanol tax credit ("subsidy") given to fuel blenders expires at the end of next month. Yes...EXPIRES. And nobody is trying to get it extended, not even the ethanol lobby.

Of course that means fuel blenders will pay more taxes, but hey, we're all for higher taxes on energy, right? (Except for oil, of course!)

[OkieMon]

10:07 AM on 11/03/2011

to help solve our fossil fuel crises everybody should start demanding at least 50% ethanol in thier gasoline...and then promote solar and alternative energy as fast as possible...

[ekg]

01:10 PM on 11/03/2011

Still advocating using land that could grow food for starving people to grow plants to distill, ferment and burn I see.

[The Shadow]

02:21 AM on 11/04/2011

Making ethanol does not destroy the food value of the corn. Ethanol is made from sugar that was removed from the corn. The remainder of the corn is dried out and sold as high quality protein feed for cattle, pigs and chickens. Fact is the cattle, pigs and chickens don’t need the sugar in their diets. Ask a diabetic about sugar in our diets. There are other crops with a high sugar content that could be used to make ethanol; sugar cane, sorghum, sugar beets, Jerusalem Artichokes and potatoes.

Subsidies for corn based ethanol is not a good idea. But cellulosic ethanol should be subsidized until a cost effective procedure is developed. The cellulosic process makes ethanol from the non-edible parts of plants ( cellulose ); scrap paper, cardboard, yard waste (grass, twigs, branches), crop waste (corn stover, rice hulls, peanut shells, grain stalks), landfill items (stumps, trees, branches, leaves), wooden construction waste and non-food crops (hemp, switch grass, miscanthus). Hemp, switch grass and miscanthus make good candidates for ethanol production because they can grow on marginal land and do not require fertilizer, herbicides or insecticides.

In WWII both the Axis and Allies used the Scholler process to make ethanol. The Germans used the ethanol as a gasoline substitute. In America, the ethanol was made from sawdust and used to make synthetic rubber.

For your information, Ethanol is Moonshine. But beware; commercial ethanol fuel has a small amount of gasoline added to it to make it undrinkable.

[The Shadow]

01:59 AM on 11/04/2011

Ethanol was originally added to gasoline to make the gasoline burn cleaner. However, ethanol could be corrosive to a cars fuel system. Since 1992 all cars sold in the US are designed to use at least E10. E10 is 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline. More recently, Flex Fuel cars are designed to use any blend between E10 and E85. E85 is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.

Since 2009, there has been a discussion about changing the minimum ethanol mix for the US from E10 to E15. That would be a huge boost for the ethanol industry.

Ethanol as a fuel is important for several reasons. It is an American product and our dollars spent on ethanol stay in the USA instead of going to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Venezuela or Nigeria. We can use much of the existing gasoline infrastructure ( pipelines, storage structures, stations ) to distribute and sell ethanol. While petroleum based products are very toxic, ethanol is biodegradable. It quickly breaks down into its components that are nontoxic.

[Enchanting Ethanol]

10:00 AM on 11/03/2011

conitinued list of groups/individuals have come out against corn ethanol subsidies....

KyotoUSA
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
League of Conservation Voters
Marynoll Office of Global Concern
Milk Producers Council Mississippi Poultry Association
MoveOn.org
Political Action
National Audubon Society
National Catholic Rural Life Conference
National Council of Chain Restaurants
National Chicken Council
National Meat Association
National Restaurant Association
National Retail Federation
National Taxpayers Union
National Turkey Federation
National Wildlife Federation
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
North Carolina Poultry Federation
Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance
Northeast Organic Farming Association -- Interstate Council (NOFA-IC)
Northwest Environmental Defense Center
Northwest Dairy Association
Oil Change International
Oxfam America
Partners for the Land & Agricultural Needs of Traditional Peoples (PLANT)
The Poultry Federation
Public Citizen
Public Interest Research Group (PIRG)
Safe Climate Campaign
The SafeLawns Foundation
Sierra Club
Snack Food Association
Southeast Milk Inc.
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Southern Horticulture
Taxpayers for Common Sense
Tennessee Poultry Association
Texas Poultry Federation U.S. Poultry and Egg Association
Union of Concerned Scientists
Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth
Virginia Poultry Federation
Washington Cattle Feeders Association
Washington State Dairy Federation
The Watershed Partnership
World Wildlife Fund
Bill Clinton
Dr.Pranab Das
And others

[OkieMon]

10:06 AM on 11/03/2011

brainwashing is quite effective....thanks for making my point....

[Enchanting Ethanol]

10:28 AM on 11/03/2011

Hahaha lol....that is funny! All these groups/individuals and all the reports on the damaging effects of ethanol are part of a big brainwashing conspiracy. hahaha... giggling all day at that one.

[June25]

09:57 AM on 11/04/2011

Well since you have the National Chicken Council on your side.

[Enchanting Ethanol]

09:58 AM on 11/03/2011

Newt Gingrich has taken lots of money from the ethanol industry. The other GOP canidates are not alone in rejecting ethanol subsidies. The following long list of groups/individuals have come out against corn ethanol subsidies( See enchantingethanol.blogspot.com for links to articles and reports on the damaging effects of ethanol.)
Oxfam
Environmental Working Group
National Academy of Sciences
Sen. John McCain
Natural Resources Defense Counicl
Karen Hosler (Baltimore Sun)
World Bank
Lester Brown
ActionAid US
Africa Action
Africa Faith and Justice
Alabama Poultry and Egg Association
Alliance of Western Milk Producers
American Bakers Association
American Conservative Union
American Frozen Food Institute
Americans for Limited Government
Americans for Prosperity
American Jewish World Service
American Meat Institute
Beyond Pesticides
California Dairies, Inc.
California Poultry Federation
California Safe Schools
Center for Auto Safety
Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Food Safety
Clean Air Task Force
Clean Water Action
Citizens for Tax Justice
Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach
Competitive Enterprise Institute
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
Dairy Producers of New Mexico
Dairy Producers of Utah
Environment America
Foreign Policy in Focus
Freedom Action
FreedomWorks
Friends of the Earth
Heartland Institute
Georgia Poultry Federation
Greenpeace
USA Grocery Manufacturers Association I
daho Dairymen’s Association
Indiana State Poultry Association
International Center for Technology Assessment
International Dairy Foods Association
John Locke Foundation

list continues on next post.......

[ekg]

09:27 AM on 11/03/2011

Ethanol: one of the largest boondoggles perpetrated on the American people

[unionave]

08:38 AM on 11/03/2011

Switch grass produces 4 X the ethanol of corn per acre . And switch grass grows in Iowa and South Dakota . Even in your back yard .

[maab76]

11:49 AM on 11/03/2011

Another point on the ethanol and corn issues: I suspect that the use of the seed of the corn plant was initially done to increase the price of the commodity at market. One thing they also fail to mention is that the "plant" of the corn is just as likely to produc high quality ethanol as the seed - and the reports I hear from former farm neighbors is that the plant is still considered "waste." GO FIGURE!

[unionave]

02:57 PM on 11/03/2011

That is good info . Wood pulp , saw dust can also be used to produce ethanol . Most organics can be used to produce ethanol . I agree . It's all about the money . Gouging is a bad contagious disease .

[OkieMon]

08:12 AM on 11/03/2011

first internal combustion engine was designed to run on a biofuel....turpentine..we could have done all this with biofuels and our own farmers......but the fossil fuel fascists have monopolized energy for 120 years...."competition is a sin"...john d rockefeller....if you think otherwise you like most have been brainwa*shed by the FFF.....

[Trekkiefandom]

11:40 AM on 11/07/2011

Actually Henry ford meant the model T to run and to be made out of hemp, a fuel the burns cleaner, takes little energy and space to grow and has the best system of capturing sun light and turning it into fuel. Of course oil and gas doesn't want people to know this because it could easily put them out of business.
Also hemp plastic is stronger than steel and lighter than titanuim.

[rjhuntington]

07:27 AM on 11/03/2011

Ethanol as fuel is a giant scam.

[OkieMon]

08:09 AM on 11/03/2011

you are brainwashed by the fossil fuel fas^cists....

[rjhuntington]

08:27 AM on 11/03/2011

Speak for yourself regarding brainwashing.

Ethanol is a scam because it costs more to produce than it delivers in usable energy. Adding 10% ethanol to gasoline reduces miles per gallon by about 25%, a really raw deal, especially considering it gets sold at the price of gasoline.

"Fossil" fuels are a scam because petroleum is not of fossil origin, which becomes obvious when you realize that the deepest oil wells are over 30,000 feet (approximately six miles down) where plants and animals certainly never existed, but that's another discussion.

[rjhuntington]

08:28 AM on 11/03/2011

Are you a corn producer or related to or otherwise connected to corn producers?

[Trekkiefandom]

11:42 AM on 11/07/2011

Not completely, Ethanol does help this country run, Iowa funny enough is a big user of ethanol. They make the fuel using renewable energy, and use whats left as feed for livestock.