Ethanol Isn’t Green, Isn’t Efficient, and Shouldn’t Be Subsidized (power, Opera)

[sargentodiaz]

By Burton A. Abrams | Posted: Mon. December 30, 2013,
Also published in The Daily Caller on Fri. December 27, 2013

My new Mercury outboard motor came with the following warning: “It is recommended that only alcohol-free gasoline be used where possible.” Gasoline blended with ethanol, an alcohol, does some nasty things to small motors. It corrodes metal, deteriorates plastic and rubber parts and creates difficulties with starting and operating the motors. Fuel lines have been known to leak, causing obvious dangers to operators. Where’s the Consumer Protection Agency when you need it? Not only won’t the government protect us consumers, it caused the problem.

An interesting piece to read @ Ethanol Isn’t Green, Isn’t Efficient, and Shouldn’t Be Subsidized: Newsroom: The Independent Institute

[thecoalman]

Ethanol is no longer subsidized* however it's irrelevant because it's use is mandated guaranteeing a market for it. The subsidies gave the blender (e.g. Exxon) something like 50 cents per gallon of ethanol so roughly speaking about 5 cents per gallon of gas with 10% blend which helped hide the cost to the consumer. Those costs will have been shifted from the taxpayer to the consumer.

Note those are direct subsidies and would not include indirect subsidies to the growers etc.

[sargentodiaz]

And ethanol is harmful to internal combustion engines increasing costs of repair and maintenance.

[sholomar]

yeah it's a very inefficient use of what should be our food supply. But hey the corn industry is pretty powerful.