Wednesday, September 3, 2008

The GOP - Grand Oil Party Snubs Ethanol

Republican 2008 PlatformIt seems that while hurricane Gustav was busy shutting down oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, oil operatives were busy tweaking the Republican platform (pdf) to shut down ethanol as an alternative fuel in America.

While calling for alternative fuels, the platform guts current incentives to invest in the infrastructure to make alternative fuels a reality.

"We must continue to develop alternative fuels, such as biofuels, especially cellulosic ethanol, and hasten their technological advances to next-generation production"

"The U.S. government should end mandates for ethanol and let the free market work."

We know that the market system is rigged against any type of new or alternative fuel. The oil industry has enjoyed a near-stranglehold over the American economy for years.  And the ethanol incentives actually go to the oil industry to encourage them to put the blending infrastructure in place for alternative fuels, including advanced cellulosic ethanol.

Support for the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) remains strong on both sides of the political aisle and across America.   This platform change hasn't gone unnoticed. So it will be interesting to see how the many Republican supporters of alternative fuels take to this sneaky backroom deal.

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