THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume X, Issue # 256, October 5, 2008
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
THE ETHANOL ELECTION ISSUE
By Alan Caruba
U.S. ENERGY POLICY, ETHANOL MANDATES, & THE PER-GALLON PRICE OF GASOLINE: THE IMPACT OF THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT'S REFUSAL TO PERMIT EXPLORATION & EXTRACTION U.S. DOMESTIC OIL RESERVES ONSHORE OR OFFSHORE
-- THE PART OF THE COST OF GASOLINE THAT CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE GOVERNMENT MANDATE THAT EACH GALLON
INCLUDE ETHANOL -- ETHANOL AS A MANDATED ADDITIVE TO GASOLINE & THE IMPACT ON FOOD PRICES -- ETHANOL AS
AN ISSUE IN THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
FULL STORY:
The issue of the nation’s financial and economic security is likely to dominate the November 4, 2008, election. Earlier in
the campaign cycle, we might have assumed that foreign affairs and energy would be uppermost on the minds of voters,
but we’re told that, ultimately, voters vote their pocketbooks.
One place they most notice a major problem, however, is at the gas pump, where prices continue to remain over $3.50 a
gallon. It is doubtful anyone really thinks about the part of that cost that can be attributed to the government mandate
that each gallon include ethanol. Other costs include the government mandated different blends of gasoline required in
different regions or sections of the nation. The refinery costs of that are built into the price as well. Then, of course, there
are the federal and state gasoline taxes that add considerably to the cost.
The consumer is constantly being told that the cost is determined by the global marketplace for oil and, to an extent this
is true. However, left largely unsaid is the role the government plays in its refusal to permit exploration and extraction of
oil reserves that are either known or which potentially exist on the mainland and off the continental shelf of the nation.
The mere mention of offshore oil drilling by U.S. Senator John McCain was sufficient to drive down the global price per
barrel for a while. It lifted his campaign prospects. Largely unexamined, however, have been Senator Barack Obama’s
long-held positions on ethanol production.
Dennis T. Avery, a senior fellow with the Hudson Institute and Director of Global Food Issues, recently took note of the
disparities between the candidate’s positions on ethanol. “Obama wants more ethanol, while McCain thinks we should
probably have less,” noting that “both say man-made global warming is a serious threat, and both say they want the best
for the nation’s farmers.”
Both candidates are wrong on many counts. Not the least is their belief that global warming is either man-made or actually
happening. It is not. Ironically, the wailing about man-made greenhouse gas emissions completely ignores the fact that
ethanol actually contributes more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, while, at the same time, decreasing the mileage per
gallon of gasoline.
Avery says that “global food and feed demand will double over the next 40 years” and that is leading to the clearing of
forests to grow more corn, both as a gasoline additive and as food. Forests absorb carbon dioxide. They are often called
“carbon sinks.” In addition, the more ethanol plants there are, the higher the price of corn rises due to demand.
Robert Bryce, the author of Gusher of Lies, one of the best books on global energy issues you will ever read, is
also a Co-Editor of Energy Tribune, a leading monthly. In the October, 2008, edition, he takes aim at ethanol,
calling it a scam and “pure, unadulterated lunacy.”
Bryce writes:
“Barack Obama doesn’t want to talk about corn ethanol.
And it’s no wonder. In early August, his campaign Web
site purged several sections of his energy plan that
talked about corn ethanol.
"Before the purge, Obama was touting corn ethanol as a
pivotal element in his push for ‘energy independence.’
His site declared that Obama ‘will require 36 billion
gallons of renewable fuels to be included in the fuel
supply by 2022 and will increase that to at least 60
billion gallons of advanced biofuels like cellulosic
ethanol by 2030.”
By August, however, Obama had come up with a new set of talking points on energy and “All mentions of corn ethanol
were removed,” wrote Bryce. “The word ‘ethanol’ only appears once.”
Do not be fooled. Obama is a major proponent of ethanol. Bryce reports:
“In January, 2007, Obama and two other senators,
Democrat Tom Harkin of Iowa and Republican Richard
Lugar of Indiana, introduced legislation called the
‘American Fuels Act of 2007.’ It aimed at promoting
the use of ethanol and provided mandates for the use
of more biodiesel.”
Obama’s national campaign Co-Chair is Tom Daschle, the former Senate majority leader and longtime ethanol booster.
Daschle serves on the boards of three key ethanol companies. Obama represents Illinois, a state that trails only Iowa and
Nebraska in ethanol production capacity.
If you have any hope of seeing the price of gasoline reduced or the cost of food decrease, that will not happen if Obama
is elected President. At the very least, McCain has signaled that he is no fan of ethanol.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
Political Environmentalism Versus Human Progress & Prosperity:
Policy Issues Relating to Energy, Environment,
& Natural Resources
The Earth's Natural History, Global Climate Changes,
& the Future of Human Life & Civilization on the Planet:
Science, Ideology, & Public Policy
Political Economy -- Philosophies, Systems, & Public Policies:
Government, the Economy, & Economic Prosperity
Agriculture, the Economy, & Human Health & Welfare:
Policy Issues Relating to Food Production & Consumption
American Politics, Political Competition, & the Control of
Public Policy: Elections, Political Parties, Political Factions,
Ideologies, & Special Interest Groups
American Government & the U.S. Presidency:
Presidential Politics & National Leadership
The American Political System:
Politics & Government in the U.S.A.
Alan Caruba is a veteran business and science writer, a Public Relations Counselor, and Founder of the National Anxiety Center, a
clearinghouse for information about media-driven scare campaigns. Caruba writes a weekly commentary, "Warning Signs," posted
on the Internet website of the National Anxiety Center, which is located at
www.anxietycenter.com.
Caruba has a daily blog at http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com.
Caruba’s most recent book, Right Answers: Separating Fact from Fantasy, has been published by Merril Press. Books
previously authored by Caruba include A Pocket Guide to Militant Islam, The United Nations Versus the United States: The
UN's Plan to Control Planet Earth, and America: A Nation Without Borders -- A Pocket Guide to Immigration Issues.
© Alan Caruba 2008
Published with Permission of Alan Caruba
ACaruba@AOL.Com
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Conservative & Free-Market Analysis of Government, Politics & Public Policy, Covering Political, Legal, Constitutional, Economic,
Cultural, Military, International, Strategic, & Geopolitical Issues
Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity