The conversion of corn to ethanol has contributed to a doubling in global food prices since 2005, according to a report by the New England Complex Systems Institute (NECSI). In a presentation at The Heritage Foundation, Dr. Yaneer Bar-Yam elaborated upon earlier research done by NECSI demonstrating a link between …
Bring a rancher, a motorcyclist, a governor, a poultry producer, a gas station manager, and a restaurant owner together around a table, and they probably wouldn’t have much in common regarding their day-to-day lives. But they have all joined the growing ranks of people dissatisfied with the renewable fuel standard. …
Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rejected a proposal from a number of governors and federal legislators to partially waive the Renewable Fuels Standard, which mandates the production of 36 billion gallons of ethanol by 2022. This year, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires refiners to blend nearly …
Drive an older car or own a moped, motorcycle or lawnmower? Depending on which fuel pump you use, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is requiring that you buy at least four gallons of fuel—although some vehicles that require the minimum four gallon requirement don’t even have a four gallon fuel …
The Financial Times reports that “U.S. farmers are heading for their most profitable year on record despite the worst drought in half a century as high grain prices and payouts from a federal crop insurance program compensate for a smaller harvest.” Higher profits are great—when they come from real market …
This past year, the USDA produced a couple of lengthy research reports (here and here) concluding what others have also documented: The federal government’s drive to increase ethanol use has created an environmentally hazardous production cycle in the name of renewable energy that is neither affordable nor clean. The Renewable …
When does the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) say you should eat meat? It depends on the day. On July 23, the agency’s interoffice newsletter, Greening Headquarters Update, encouraged employees to participate in the “Meatless Monday” initiative that was supposed to help the environment. Three weeks later, on August 13, …
In the midst of one of the most severe droughts on record, Washington’s ethanol mandate is making the corn shortage even worse. Markets have responded quickly and flexibly to the drought where they can, but some corn buyers are sidelined by the rigid government ethanol mandate. Corn prices are skyrocketing, …
In the name of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil, the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) mandates that we need to consume 36 billion gallons of ethanol by 2022. EISA also contains a mandate within the mandate for advanced biofuels, with the applicable …
