Ethanol Wins in Missouri Primary
Missouri’s ethanol industry got a boost today as pro-ethanol Republican gubernatorial candidate Kenny Hulshof defeated Sarah Steelman, who had vowed to cancel the state’s new ethanol mandate. Hulshof will now face Democratic candidate Jay Nixon, who also purports to support ethanol.
As you might remember from my earlier posts (especially on July 23), ethanol had become a key issue in the Republican side of the governor’s race when Steelman sided with Big Oil in opposition to Missouri’s 10 percent ethanol in nearly every gallon of gas sold in the state. The airwaves were filled with commercials with Hulshof and Steelman criticizing each other for their stances on the green fuel.
Despite her unenlightened attacks against ethanol (including the false charge that it is the main reason for food price increases, which we have shown time and time again that skyrocketing oil costs are the real culprits), Missourians were smart enough to see through Steelman’s petroleum-fueled smokescreen and voted for Hulshof, a corn farmer who has a first-hand interest in ethanol.
The vote was close, with Hulshof winning by just a few percentage points, and it shows just how much in the balance any ethanol mandate would be. And that shows how much we’ve got to keep up the fight to make sure everyone knows the truth about ethanol: it saves money, it conserves non-renewable oil, and it just makes sense for our energy independence.
4 Comments »
larry hagedon
More good news. We have to break the oil monopoly in America. We failed to do that in the 70s and 80s, and we paid a huge price for our failure. This time it looks good for getting it done.
larry hagedon in Iowa
AmericanFlexFuelExperience@yahoogroups.com
Bickle
This is indeed a victory for Missouri. Ethanol is a clean, renewable, American resources and Missouri has an abundance of corn. We need to be producing more corn ethanol, not less, and a mandate makes sense. And as for the argument that it encourages a rise in the price of food, I’d point to the skyrocketing cost of oil.
NorrisChuckLives
Right on! Hulshof is a great candidate; particularly because of his pro-ethanol stance. He realizes that ethanol production does not “destroy” food supplies, or raise prices. In fact, using ethanol reduces the cost of gasoline in the long run – it’s an effective way to save money and save the environment, so I’m glad this is part of his platform.
GameOver
You guys are so so very lucky! I wish my city was like yours! We are dying over here due to the high price of oil and there are idiots spreading ethanol myths!
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