Archives: July
Leading Newspapers Call for End to Ethanol Tariff and Subsidies
From inside-the-beltway to Wall Street to the heart of the farm belt, the plummet in support for ethanol subsidies and trade protection is on full display in some of the nation’s top newspapers. Recent editorials in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune — each calling for significant reform of U.S. ethanol policy — are another milestone in the groundswell of support for opening America’s renewable fuels market to real competition that will benefit consumers. Read More
A Rare Moment of Accord on the Ethanol Tariff
It’s been yet another remarkable week for the debate on U.S ethanol policy, and yesterday we reached a milestone. In a rare moment of accord, all three of the world’s leading ethanol associations – Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy and UNICA – now agree on at least one thing: there should be parity with ethanol subsidy and trade policy, meaning the amount of the tax credit and import tariff should be equal. Read More
Will the Real Growth Energy Please Stand Up?
Last week, Growth Energy surprised everyone by announcing their “Fueling Freedom” plan – a polar shift in strategy that calls for a competitive open market for ethanol, greater consumer choice and a phasing out of government subsidies. The announcement seemed to fly in the face of their past rhetoric. This week however, it’s back to business as usual from the folks at Growth Energy. Which is it? Do they support market competition and consumer choice or not? Read More
Reality Check: Eliminating the Ethanol Tariff and Subsidies
For decades, the corn ethanol lobby has been peddling in hysterics and kernel-nomics on the topic of subsidies and the 54-cent-per-gallon tariff on imported ethanol. Their defenders argue that the U.S. would suffer catastrophic job losses without them, domestic biofuel production would plummet and America would become more dependent on foreign sources of energy. With all these claims bouncing back and forth, we decided it was time to get an honest assessment from an impartial expert, and thought who better to engage than a world-renowned agricultural economist from the Farm Belt. Read More
Legislative Action Moves Into High Gear
The past 24 hours have been full of surprises. Most notably, Growth Energy today made a 180-degree shift in strategy. The group is now calling for an “eventual phasing out of government support” for ethanol subsidies, as well as open markets and consumer choice. Glad to see we can finally agree on something. It’s clear that the next few weeks will play a decisive role in setting future ethanol policy for America. Read More
President Obama Praises Sugarcane Ethanol
In a meeting yesterday with President Fernandez of the Dominican Republic, President Obama discussed working together to expand trade opportunities, particularly in the area of clean energy. Obama specifically praised sugarcane ethanol, citing its success story in Brazil and potential for the hemisphere. We hope it’s a sign that the Administration is ready to remove existing trade barriers that favor oil from our enemies over clean alternatives from our long standing allies. Read More
“How Sweet It Is” – Announcing the Winner of Our 54th Goal Contest
As many of you know, we’re World Cup fanatics here at Sweeter Alternative. Our other passion of course, is sugarcane ethanol. A few weeks back we found the perfect intersection of the two by launching a one of a kind contest. Today we’re thrilled to announce the Grand Prize winner. Read More
