Ethanol's hidden costs | IN 60 SECONDS

Ethanol has enjoyed support from the United States government for decades. Despite the presumed benefits of ethanol, its production bears deep economic and environmental costs. AEI's Tim Carney explains why Congress should end the ethanol mandate and let ethanol compete in the free market.

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#aei #news #politics #government #education #ethanol #energy #trump #agriculture #economy #environment #corn #farmbillfriday #e85

[davidrhiley]

Please provide the names the law makers that want to end the subsidy. They deserve positive recognition. This has been a terrible practice.

[jennteal]

I live in Iowa. Because of how they push Ethanol, 87 averages 40 cents LESS per gallon than standard unleaded 87 octane gasoline. This sucks because I get MUCH better gas mileage in my 2008 Mazda using regular unleaded vs. ethanol. I pay the difference, it's worth it but it's getting harder to find non-premium gasoline without ethanol. I hate the stuff as much as I adore our Ag industry, it's a garbage policy.

[MrBluehound]

Can somebody please explain to me how ethanol RAISES gas prices when ethanol is cheaper than gas?(Not at the retail level because the petroleum owned stations don't want to sell ethanol...so they jack up the price)...the stupidity of the ethanol industry is a whole different topic.... What has raised gas prices is EPA regulations on fuel which require more refining and thus higher costs. I'm a farmer from Nebraska who grows corn and its all sold to an e-plant. And I also oppose mandates so I am opposed to a mandate that requires its use. However, you are you guys using "Fake News" in this story, why add bullshit? Just oppose it on a free market principle instead of spreading lies. Other than the mandates that requires the use of a "renewable fuel"(there aren't any other viable products at this time) there are no subsidies for ethanol anymore, and haven't been for many years.

[vincentstouter]

The general philosophy needs to be: “Living food harvested to feed living creatures and dead food (oil) recovered to feed dead machines.”

While the Ethanol lobby benefits ADM, large farms and engine repair facilities it costs consumers billions.

The increase of food prices due to industrial ethanol destabilized Egypt resulting in riots due to the cost of grain increasing on world markets..

Corn is not the best ethanol source (saw grass is better but is not an existing comercial crop)

Ethanol has less BTU content than gas therefore while it burns cleaner, more fuel needs to be burned / mile than with straight gasoline.

Ethanol is hard on engines and the rubber parts in the fuel system resulting in more breakdowns and increased repair costs (this is why aviation and marine engines are excepted from ethanol requirements).

Ethanol is not compatible with existing petroleum pipelines and storage systems leading to costly handling requirements.

There are other issues but the above points are a reasonable start. Political patronage for the benefit of special interests at the expense of the general citizens is immoral.

[michaelhoffman]

I worked for a refinery for 41 years and BTW they attacked getting ethanol into their gas, it was obvious they were going to make big money on ethanol. I'll bet the refinery in Philly had other problems!!

[amk]

Don’t believe the hype everyone this guy sources are very skewed but are technically factual. the only issue is that it’s costing the average American around $50 a year in extra cost but that extra amount of money goes a long way in the rural economy which has been otherwise abandoned by mainstream America. We’ve made food so cheap and plentiful you guys don’t even need as many farmers anymore we’re left with shrinking cities a few hospitals a few schools and you don’t even have the courtesy to thank us for dropping your food cost from 25% of your income in the 1950s to less than 10% now. If our lobbies don’t fight family farms, small businesses die that’s not hyperbole that’s a fact. We’ll stop making ethanol when you start paying us a livable wage to grow food

[brickreddonut]

Unless the people realize, left and right, that they must end the lobbying power struggle in our government, not much progress is going to happen.

[richdobbs]

No, I don't think Congress will end this subsidy. There is no consensus to lessen crony capitalism. Apparently the dynamics of American politics leads to log rolling resulting in more and more special cases. If rationality prevailed, we wouldn't have protection for the sugar industry. At least these small scale corruptions don't cause the damage that federally guaranteed student loans lead to.

[johnj]

AEI, how about a 'Did you know?' segment? Pose some tidbits about what our lovely govt has mandated that they may not know about. We all know about 1.6 gal toilets, and how it created an underground of Canadian toilets, but did you know they mandated no more vents on gas cans? How about back-up cameras on cars? You get the picture - how they are controlling so much in our lives and we don't even know it.

[TheBandit]

Ethanol has cause damage to my 71' Mustang Mach 1
STOP THE ETHANOL SCAM NOW!

[lukezuzga]

Nice video and its my opinion ethanol should compete in the free market.

[johnj]

Govt mandated MTBE in gasoline in early 90's even though it caused worse mileage, net effect of more pollution. Even after the harmful effects were known it took years to remove it. Govt then mandated ethanol, not even considering its harmful effect on cars or ruining the corn market. Since it takes more energy to produce ethanol that it provides, it is really a BAD idea. Govt should stay out of these things. If anything, just make a standard and let the free market come up with the solution.

[ty]

Fewer wetlands to trap farm runoff > acid ocean > more atmospheric CO2
Fewer fields fallow to restore N > ammonia application > more runoff > CO2

[AnthonyLombardo-cool]

I like your passion. Ethanol does not work. Yes it burns, yes you can dilute your gas and burn it in your engine. No, making ethanol, adding it to gasoline does not help the carbon footprint. This is in the same zone as an EV saving the planet. The cost to make the energy (form fossil fuels) the storage and transfer of the electricity has a loss of over 30%, the charging of EV batteries loses average 17%, then the efficiency of electric motor from the batteries is energetically less than the BTU from the most dense, efficient, and energy storage that is fossil fuels. Atomic energy is the only competitor known to Earth at this point in time. AE is better than fossil fuels for storage, release, and efficiency of energy needed by civilization. I wish you ethanol and EV guys would actually look at the facts, net loss of fossil fuel investment to create the ethanol (not counting the farm equipment burning fuel, fertilizer using fossil fuels, and the inefficiency of every step in between to create the lesser of two fuels needed). Unfortunately, civilization mainly hunger rides on the use of fossil fuels in every step of production. Sorry, must do better.

[davidturner]

Petition your Congressman with your preferences! May the best team win! Go! Choices… Algae Fuel. Anaerobic Digestion… Bedini SSG. Cave Man of Stone? And a whole plethora of other very viable logical solutions. Again… May the best team win! (Wanna' beat Tesla? Put two windmills on the front of that EV. Plastic? Stainless Steel Frame…)

[NarednikLobanja]

And now do a video on the hidden costs (lobby) of the oil and coal industry

[davidclough]

Grain prices so low now farmers are plowing under some crops cause storage cisys too much. Ethanol has very little if anything to do with food costs

[alikaostermiller]

so it's a competition to see who can be the most bought politician. Big oil vs the corn industry, who will be more corrupt? it's a shitty tradeoff

[SIStefanov]

Okay I got into the topic knowing nothing of it and I was quite curious to form an opinion. However you provided no context for the ethanol production business and why it has been set up at all. If one is to judge solely on this video it turns out that this was some kind of evil conspiracy with no beneficial purpose to anybody. Now this might be the case, but I need the context, or at least the goals of the initial proposal. Otherwise the video sounds less like a scholarly opinion and and more like a blatant political add.

[rajbanwait]

Syrup Corn to Ethanol GAAP...more variety of corn...Koch...