A "lame duck" Congress commences this week, representing the final leg of the Obama administration's first congressional term. The way I see it, as an IndyCar driver with nearly 30 years of racing experience, these few remaining weeks are among the most critical, and dangerous. I liken it to those final, knuckle-whitening laps around the track at each year's Indianapolis 500. The driver knows the road ahead and has a good feel for what works. It's time to edge out the best finish with carefully-considered maneuvers.
Congress is back on the track, after its election pit stop, debating key legislative incentives meant to create more jobs and stimulate better business, including the extension of expiring tax cuts. The extension of one such tax cut is a strategic must: the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit, or VEETC. This tax credit helps ethanol producers meet our mounting energy demands. It also protects the American labor, farmland and manufacturing facilities that are integral in meeting that demand. VEETC is set to expire on Dec. 31 of this year, unless Congress passes a large tax bill that includes many different types of tax cuts including VEETC.
Without the extension, we risk too much. Failure to extend the tax credits would force tens of
thousands of Americans out of their jobs, further compromising an economy already struggling
with a 10 percent unemployment rate. (Some experts say that figure is closer to 17 percent when considering the underemployed and those who have given up looking for work.) Hundreds of millions of gallons of ethanol capacity would be wasted and the U.S. would be forced to import more foreign oil. Additionally, the Highway Trust Fund, which helps federal and state government agencies to improve transportation infrastructure, would lose the more than $3 billion generated from the VEETC annually.
Despite its already significant contributions to our energy needs, the biofuels industry is in a fledgling state. According to federal law, ethanol must be blended into every gallon of gasoline sold in the U.S. If our leaders make a strategic error now, the American ethanol industry could suffer and we may be forced to buy ethanol from our foreign competitors. With the right incentives and bipartisan congressional support, we can not only protect the 400,000 precious American jobs already associated with the industry, but grow that figure to millions. Currently, the primary source of ethanol in the U.S. is corn; continued ethanol production serves to stabilize corn prices and plant the seeds of future prosperity for our communities and hard-working farmers of the American heartland. Ethanol will continue to play an important role reducing harmful carbon monoxide emissions, a leading contributor to global climate change.
The decisions our politicians make from now until the end of the year will determine the role America will play in the development of clean energy. By extending the VEETC, Congress can demonstrate our nation's commitment to the future of clean energy and stimulate private-sector investment. The alternative amounts to shutting off our engine. With China investing billions into alternative fuel technology and Brazil generating nearly eight billion gallons of sugar-cane ethanol a year, we cannot afford to just wave them past. As an IndyCar driver, I have experienced the performance of pure ethanol under the harshest automotive conditions. Ethanol powers our cars to speeds over 230 mph and literally allows our participants and fans to breathe easier. I am proud to showcase an energy solution that is among the best and cleanest fuel technologies available today.
As the 111th Congress comes to a close, I encourage every American to get involved and let our congressional leaders know that ethanol is a key component to our country's future energy independence, our economic growth and our environmental responsibility. Urge your leaders to extend the VEETC. With the impending shift of control in the House, demand that this lame duck keep its eyes on the road ahead rather than handing over the wheel.
Jeff Simmons is a driver in the IndyCar series, has competed in four Indianapolis 500 races, and has long been an advocate for renewable energy.
Energy is my personal bete noir. I am convinced that we simply cannot go on paying the cost of ever more expensive oil. We must do something... invest in biofuels, or clean nukes turning out hydrogen, or whatever...or we will bankrupted.
http://explosive-cargo.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-isnt-being-said.html
For a city that promotes itself as green, I don't know why every city and county building doesn't do the same thing, as well as encourage all it's citizens to do the same.
Costco is a For-Profit corporation. If it makes sense for them to do this, why does it not make sense for all corporations to do it. I believe that even though Costco invests in this kind of renewable energy, it still makes money and does right by the stock holders. And they even pay decent wages and benefits. Am I missing something? Why isn't this done all over the place?
My point is that one technology is not the end-all solution to energy. If we focus too much on one source of energy, then our children will just end up with the very same problem we face today with fossil fuels.
Coskata.com is another Company that can make Ethnaol out of anything.. even old tires ..General Motors is invested in them..they have pilot plant running and is selling licenses for their process
Ineos Bio has started production in Florida on their Garbage to Ethanol plant and on and on the list goes..
This is an exciting time ..in a decade we can be making enough ethanol that we would no longer "NEED" Oil from the Bloody Middle East.. no longer need to subsidize Oil with not only the hundreds of billions each year but also subsidized with the blood of our troops..
Tats what we are working for ..where we no longer NEED the Middle East Oil..where we are no longer kissing, bowing , killing and dying ..so we all can drive to work each day..
It's about self respect .. Ethanol (even corn ethanol) is about Growing a Pair and being Master instead of enslaved to Foreign Countries for our Energy needs
Dan McCullough
E85Prices.com
. BY Law ..the Renewable and Fuel Standards of the Energy and Security Act fo 2007 only allows 15 billion gallons of ethanol a year for corn.. they already produce almost 13 billion gallons.. .... In a few years you ethanol will be made form Algae, wood chips and other waste wood , switchgrasses and even Garbage that you put out on the street every week..
BS?
continued....
And, as cellulosic and advanced biofuels continue to not make their target, the RFS actually allows corn ethanol to fill that void. Let me wonk out for a bit here: this year, since cellulosic's RFS mandate was only filled with around 100 million gallons of cellulosic biofuels this year instead of the 1 billion it was supposed to, those remaining gallons are filled with corn ethanol. This number will continue to grow as the cellulosic portion of the RFS increases even though actual cellulosic ethanol production isn't growing nearly as much.
1--> The current policies continue to push up the percentage of ethanol in our fuel because it had gross mandates for the amount of ethanol to produce, but the amount of gas sold has gone down. Why do we need this again?
2--> We're having a bumper year for corn prices following a bumer year for corn harvest. Prices keep going up, including for staple foods around the world. How much more should impoverished people of the world have to pay for food so that we can have ethanol fuel?
3--> Ethanol doesn't reduce CO2 once you factor in land usage, water usage (both growing and fermenting), and transport. It also doesn't boost fuel economy - even if you have 10% ethanol by volume, it's less than 1% of the energy in the fuel.
4--> Why does the government keep spending millions of dollars on the corn industry? Simple - presidential primaries start in Iowa. A calendar has ruined it for all of us.
and everything else, yes on new cars!
We'll see how competitive you are when you put your ideology ahead of other concerns.
Ok, I looked it up and it looks like methanol was used from 1965 to 2006, and then as a marketing gimmick the IRL forced all drivers to adopt ethanol.
Due to the loss of power associated with this change, they had to increase the allowable engine displacement.
How about if we have Jeff run on ethanol and let everyone else use methanol again?
"As an IndyCar driver, I have experienced the performance of pure ethanol under the harshest automotive conditions. Ethanol powers our cars to speeds over 230 mph and literally allows our participants and fans to breathe easier. I am proud to showcase an energy solution that is among the best and cleanest fuel technologies available today."
Youre Welcome :)