A recent Bloomberg article underscores the government distortions in the fuel and food sectors. The piece discusses the rising price of ethanol because of expected supply problems: Ethanol’s discount to gasoline narrowed to a four-month low on speculation that the slowest pace of corn planting since 1986 will make it difficult to replenish supplies. The [...]
Federal Regulations Drive Up Gasoline Prices
Lately an argument has broken out over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and whether it drives up gasoline prices. The recent controversy was sparked by a WSJ article discussing the shocking fact that Renewable Identification Number (RIN) credits—which are one way of complying with the federal standard—had shot up in prices from about 7 cents [...]
April 12, 2013 | Bus Tour, News, Renewable Fuel Standard, Threats
The Biofuel Mandate and EPA’s Costly Tall Tale
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set mandatory levels of cellulosic biofuel for refiners to blend into transportation fuels. In order to restrain EPA, the law requires that the mandate be based on an estimate from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) as to how much cellulosic biofuel [...]
April 5, 2013 | Bus Tour, News, Renewable Fuel Standard, Threats
New Study on the Impact of RFS Implies There Is No Need for the RFS
Earlier this week, the Renewable Fuels Association released a report arguing that the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is only slightly raising gasoline prices. The implication of the report is clear—there is no need for RFS. If the RFS has positive benefits, as the report claims, or only slight costs, then there is no need [...]
March 29, 2013 | Bus Tour, Facts, News, Renewable Fuel Standard
Ethanol “Blending Wall” Leads to Gas Exports
A recent WSJ article explained how the ethanol mandate is leading to a “blend wall” that paradoxically leads U.S. refiners to export their gasoline, raising pump prices at home. This is just another fantastic example of government policies having unintended consequences. Before looking at just how serious the problem is, let’s set the context by [...]
March 18, 2013 | Bus Tour, News, Renewable Fuel Standard
AEA Responds to EPA Rejection of Renewable Fuel Standards Waiver
WASHINGTON D.C. — The American Energy Alliance President Thomas Pyle responded today to the decision of the Environmental Protection Agency to deny a waiver request by seven state governors seeking relief from the federal Renewable Fuel Standard. “President Obama famously promised Vladimir Putin more flexibility after his re-election, but he’s offered no such flexibility to [...]
November 16, 2012 | News, Renewable Fuel Standard
More Scare Tactics on Climate Regulations
Bjorn Lomborg has a great article in Foreign Policy walking through the problems with a major new study warning of the need for government action on climate change in order to avoid millions (!) of deaths. Lomborg’s critique shows how the climate change debate, especially as it’s reported in the major media, is full [...]
Do Voters Want to Pay More For Energy?
A recent Grist article was elated over the apparent lack of voter knowledge on the Solyndra issue, and celebrates poll results showing Americans support “clean energy” initiatives. But ironically, the writer who is complaining about dishonesty himself quotes a Solyndra critic out of context to utterly change the meaning of his statement. Furthermore, the [...]
October 22, 2012 | Greenhouse Gases, News, Renewable Fuel Standard
“A Refinery Rescue Reconsidered”
The incredible people we’ve met out on the American Products American Power bus tour know that you’re not a hero for calling the doctor after deliberately breaking someone’s legs. But that’s what the Obama Administration effectively did by driving a refinery out of business with regulations and then calling in a rescue operation. As [...]
September 19, 2012 | Corporate Average Fuel Economy, News, Renewable Fuel Standard, Threats, Tier 3 Standards
Is Ethanol Cheaper Than Gasoline?
CLICK HERE to tell the EPA to waive the ethanol mandates and relieve pressure on our nation’s food supply, fuel prices, and vehicle fleet. No doubt feeling the heat from record corn prices, defenders of the ethanol mandate are now claiming that ethanol is actually something that the market would embrace, without government intervention. If [...]
August 30, 2012 | News, Renewable Fuel Standard, Threats
