The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it will invest up to $100,000,000 to increase the number of gas pumps that blend higher amounts of ethanol into the fuel.
These pumps are often called "blender pumps" and can be used to dispense fuel up to 85% ethanol for vehicles designed to use flex fuels.
The goal is to increase the amount of ethanol available to motorists by building the infrastructure of available pumps. According to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsak:
"USDA is helping to ensure the infrastructure is in place for consumers to access more renewable fuels, expand marketing opportunities for farmers, and grow America's rural economies."
The announcement also mentioned that the goal of the program is to double the amount of pumps capable of supplying higher blends.
Senator Chuck Grassley (IA) took to the floor of the US Senate this week to respond to the misconceptions found in a Wall Street Journal piece. Specifically, he responded to the myths from the chain restaurants and chicken producers regarding cleaner burning, American-made renewable fuels.
Here are a few key points the senator made:
"I’m going to take this opportunity to do a simple fact check of some of the most egregious claims.
First, they claim that since 2005, when the Renewable Fuel Standard was first adopted, costs of vital food commodities, including corn, grains and oilseeds, poultry, meat, eggs and dairy have risen dramatically.
This is pure myth.
The fact is, consumer food prices have increased by an annual average of 2.68 percent since 2005.
In contrast, food prices increased by an average of 3.47 percent in the 25 years leading up to passage of the RFS.
Prices for chicken breast have been nearly flat over the past seven years, averaging $3.43 per pound in 2007, and just 3 pennies more, to $3.46 per pound in 2014.
Corn prices are expected to average $3.50 per bushel this year, according to USDA.
This would be the lowest price in nearly 10 years, and 17 percent below the average price of $4.20 a bushel in 2007, when the RFS2 was enacted.
That’s a fact: with ethanol production at record levels today, corn prices are lower now than they were in 2007.
It’s been proven time and again by the EPA, USDA and others – there is no correlation between corn prices or ethanol production and retail food inflation or food prices. It’s just a fact.
Second, they claim that as a result of the RFS, corn is being “diverted” from livestock feed to ethanol. Again, this claim is false.
Corn used for ethanol has come from the significant increases in corn production since 2005.
In 2005, American farmers produced 11.1 billion bushels of corn.
In 2014, they produced 14.1 billion bushels.
And, one-third of the corn used for ethanol production is returned to the market as animal feed. The amount of corn and corn co-products available for feed use is larger today than any time in history.
So, it’s hardly being diverted."
Senator Grassley's full transcript can be found HERE.
NASCAR has the largest renewable energy projects in professional sports and the world. And it's an important part of NASCAR's Green program.
Since 2011, NASCAR has been using E15 ethanol, made from corn grown in America that has reduced racetrack greenhouse emissions by 20% while increasing horsepower.
And recently, NASCAR raced more than 7 million competitive miles of facing action using E15 in all NASCAR vehicles.
Kum and Go (@kumandgo) announced today they will begin offering E15 as a fuel option at over 65 stations, across 7 states over the next two years. The first station will be in Windsor Heights, Iowa and will open on April 30.
This is a tremendous step forward to bring the cleaner burning, higher performing, American-made fuel to consumers.
E15 is a blend of 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline and is a cleaner and higher-octane fuel. The EPA has approved E15 for cars manufactured since 2001.
According to the company:
“We have a strong tradition in our company to implement sustainability within our business and at our locations. From our 100 LEED-certified stores, to our selection of alternative fuels, E15 was a natural addition to our fuel offering,” said Jim Pirolli, Vice President of Fuels, Kum & Go. “Having E15 in our portfolio allows Kum & Go to offer our customers a quality product at a great value.”
An interesting article in Roll Call this week has an interesting explanation for the Obama administration recent decision to gut the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS).
While the left hand of President Obama is crushing the coal-power industry, the right hand is helping Big Oil.
And who is that right hand?
Who could be responsible for such a conundrum? Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., it turns out. According to a Reuters article published in mid-May, the events that lead to the RFS mandates reduction began when the Carlyle Group, the powerful Washington, D.C.-based private equity firm, became concerned about the profitability of two oil refineries it owns in Philadelphia. Lower RFS mandates would help Carlyle’s bottom line
Useful info from OilRigged.com concerning how the Big Oil companies rig the system to ensure they control the fuel system in America.
Oil Rigging
SEVEN WAYS BIG OIL RIGS THE SYSTEM
Rigging Congress: In the last five years, the oil industry has spent over $885 million on lobbyists and campaign contributions to buy influence on Capitol Hill. That’s more than $1 million for every Member of Congress.
Rigging the Market: Big oil has a near-total monopoly on the marketplace — so when oil prices go up, you get gouged. Because oil companies want to protect that monopoly at all cost, they’ve taken aim at the commonsense, bipartisan renewable fuel standard — demanding that the EPA effectively cut the amount of renewable fuel in gasoline and raise the oil content. That would increase their profits, cost consumers more at the pump, and increase our dependence on foreign oil.
Rigging the Tax Code: For over 100 years (!), oil companies have held onto sweetheart tax breaks — supercharging Big Oil’s profits with hard-earned wages from American families.
Rigging the Fuel Supply: Oil companies made $100 billion in profits last year, but have refused to pay for infrastructure to sell more renewable fuels in spite of a law requiring them to do so. Now the companies want the government to excuse them from selling more renewable fuels due to a lack of infrastructure … a bottleneck they deliberately created in order to protect their monopoly on the marketplace.
Rigging Studies: The oil companies like to quote a study that said ethanol damages engine valves. Who paid for the study? The oil companies. How did they rig the study? By pre-selecting cars with known valve defects.Come on, guys. Remember when tobacco industry studies found that smoking wasn’t harmful?
Rigging the Debate: Big Oil companies have spent millions on slick advertisements attacking clean, American-made renewable fuel. What don’t the ads say? That fuels like ethanol are higher octane — making thembetter for your engine — higher performance, cleaner burning, and cost less money than regular gasoline.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it will invest up to $100,000,000 to increase the number of gas pumps that blend higher amounts of ethanol into the fuel. 
