Vilsack Anticipates Approval of E15
“I’m not troubled by getting it right as long as we get it right. And I think we’re headed in the right direction. I’m anticipating we’ll see some increase in the blend rate,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack during a press conference at Commodity Classic when asked about EPA’s delaying the decision to increase the blend rate to E15.
However, prior to addressing the status of the E15 Waiver, Vilsack began by noting that biofuels are a good way to bring prosperity and economic vitality to all regions across the country. Rural America is disappearing and farmers have been one of the hardest hit groups during this financial crises. He explained that its not just growing the crops that help farmers but also the jobs it creates for residents of rural communities who work in the ethanol plants and other companies that are tied to biofuels production.
Circling back to E15, approving a higher blend is essential to reaching the country’s goal of producing 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022. Per the mandates as set by the EPA as part of the Renewable Fuels Standard, nearly 10 percent of all fuel will be blended with E10 in 2010. Without higher blends, including E85, there is no where for the fuel to go.
Yet earlier this week, the EPA announced that it was delaying any decision on increasing the blend level to E15 until the end of the summer. Vilsack commented that the purpose of the delay is due to ongoing testing by the Department of Energy to determine what engines can use the higher blend without ill effects. It has already been established that newer vehicles, and all flex-fuel vehicles can use the higher blend safely, “Which suggests to me that we’re going to see an increase in the blend rate,” said Vilsack. He then noted that it will be important to use rural development resources to make sure the distribution systems create the opportunities for people to use higher blends.
You can see photos from Commodity Classic here.
You can listen to Vilsack’s comments on biofuels here.
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4 Comments
Chip Daigle
Corn Ethanol only gets 25% Reduction in Carbon Emissions if you use Natural Gas burners. If you add sugar in the process, you could get more carbon reduction, maybe 50% I’m just guessing.
Sugarcane Ethanol gets 85% Carbon Reduction.
We need a policy that get clean and green Ethanol next year. The Subsidy for Ethanol should be given in proportion to the Reduction in Carbon Emissions. This would encourage more sugarcane Ethanol and less Corn ethanol. Cellulosic is 10 years away and Trillions of Taxpayer Dollars to go. I suggest 25 Cents for Corn Ethanol and 85 Cents for Sugarcane Ethanol. Maybe we could give 50 Cents for Corn Ethanol produced with Sugar. Cellulosic and Ethanol from Algae would get their subsidies when they start producing and not until.
The Tariff on Clean Green Imported Sugarcane Ethanol and not on Dirty Gasoline coming from Terrorist Sympathizing Countries does not make sense other than to protect the Corn Farmers and Corn Ethanol producers which are giving us 25%. We can do better next year; we must do better.
Trade Corn for Sugarcane Ethanol. Poor countries get food and increase their Economies. They overcome poverty and drug trafficking at the same time. American gets cleaner Ethanol next year. And after we modify the cars to be Flex-Fuel Vehicles, we can begin using E15 in the modified cars.
I suggest Congress require all new cars be E85 FFV’s next year. I would also like to see E15 Modification kits for all older vehicles before we do something stupid like E15 Regular Gasoline.
SacramentoE85
Brazil has their own 20% tariff on imported ethanol. Currently they don’t have enough sugar and have reduced their ethanol blend. I agree though, there should be a tariff against all imported fuels, not just ethanol. Apply the tariff income to domestic fuel production. That would definitely spur production of domestic fuel, and counter the effect of higher priced imported fuel with lower priced domestic fuel. Brazil cannot supply the U.S. if it can’t supply itself. Brazilian ethanol imports is a Red Herring that Oil puts out there to distract attention from more important topics.
Madein USA
Trade corn for sugarcane? Yea, let’s buy all our fuel from Brazil and the Terrorists Countries. Our energy problem will soon dissapear because we won’t produce anything in the U.S. anymore and nobody will be able to afford transportation. Let’s work towards domestic fuel production and domestic jobs and use instead of bashing domestic fuel any chance there is.
Delay on E15 Waiver “Troubling” - Domestic Fuel
[...] to Jennings, Robert White with the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, the EPA is doing more work on small engines and the effect of ethanol blends on catalytic [...]
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