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NEWS ABOUT: ethanol

Corn-Hungry Texas Calls for Cuts in Biofuel Mandates

Ethanol future in balance as governor pleads for livestock corn

(Newser) - The EPA is considering a proposal from the governor of Texas to slash the amount of ethanol that oil companies are required to blend into gasoline to meet quotas, the New York Times reports. Gov. Rick Perry is calling for the EPA to cut the ethanol mandate in half, from... More »

Gas Crunch Steers Soaring Hybrid Sales

Some 62% of new car buyers look to the gas-sippers

(Newser) - Sales of hybrid cars could soar to 2 million a year by 2013 as higher gas prices and concerns about global warming spark surging interest in fuel efficient vehicles, Wired reports. Well over half—62%—of new car buyers are already considering a hybrid, according to a recent survey. Consumers... More »

Farmers Aim to Plow Over Conserved Land

Wetlands, grassland now needed for corn

(Newser) - Millions of acres set aside as grasslands and wetlands could soon be plowed under if farmers and livestock producers have their way, reports the Washington Post.  As food prices soar, the Department of Agriculture is under pressure to release acreage from the Conservation Reserve Program that pays farmers not... More »

Biofuel Caused Food Crisis: Secret Report

Findings covered up to avoid US embarrassment

(Newser) - Biofuel production has been the driving force behind the growing food crisis, pushing prices up 75%, according to a confidential World Bank report obtained by the Guardian. The most detailed research ever conducted on the issue emphatically contradicts the US position that biofuels are responsible for a mere 3% price... More »

Algae: Lean, Green Biofuel?

Firm says it can produce algae oil at $60 a barrel; US dare not miss its chance, writer says

(Newser) - The steam engine wasn’t invented in the eighteenth century—it was invented in AD 60. But Romans instead stuck to their old standby technology: slaves. Now, we’re in danger of repeating that mistake with biofuels, writes David Ewing Duncan for Portfolio. While Congress is pumping subsidies into corn-based... More »

McCain's Energy Record Reveals Muddled Mess

Some see pragmatism, others inconsistency in GOP candidate's votes

(Newser) - John McCain can’t seem to settle on a comprehensible energy policy, Noam Levey writes in the Los Angeles Times, noting that the Republican has been on both sides of issues from oil drilling to ethanol. He favors fuel-efficiency standards while rejecting renewable-sources guidelines and rejects tax breaks on renewables... More »

Floods Cloud Biofuel Future

Ruined Midwest crops spark worries about fuel supplies

(Newser) - The floods that swamped the corn belt last month have raised fresh fears about the future of biofuels, the New York Times reports. The ruined corn crop has sent the price of ethanol soaring, and experts worry that unpredictable weather could lead to future spikes in the price of energy... More »

Ties to Corn Industry Shape Obama's Policy

Views on ethanol please agribusiness, not economists

(Newser) - Barack Obama trumpets corn-derived ethanol as an alternative energy source and has endorsed tariffs that benefit the industry. But the Times reports that many in the Obama campaign, from Tom Daschle to the candidate's top environmental adviser, have close ties to the corn industry—a kernel of the surprise victory... More »

Midwest Floods May Seep Into Gas Prices

Decimated corn crop will likely boost refiners' ethanol costs

(Newser) - Gas prices could be going up even more as Midwest floods put acres of corn underwater, causing its price—and that of ethanol—to spike, the Wall Street Journal reports. Relatively low ethanol prices have helped keep gasoline in check, but ethanol refiners paying more for corn could be forced... More »

Grain Prices Surge With Midwest Floods

Water inundating heartland expected to drive food, oil prices still higher

(Newser) - The floods inundating the Midwest are pushing grain prices to new highs, the Wall Street Journal reports. Corn prices jumped 10% to a record high last week as farmland flooded. The domino effects will hit the ethanol industry, hog farmers, and even owners of catfish ponds who rely on corn... More »

Food vs. Fuel Battle Flares at UN Summit

Egypt's Mubarak asks, should we be feeding people or cars?

(Newser) - The battle over biofuels is raging at the UN’s food summit in Rome, with nations bitterly divided over whether growing corn and sugar cane for ethanol production is pushing food prices up and helping create disastrous global food shortages. On one side: Food experts who call diversion of crops... More »

Is There a Solar Bubble?

Parallels with now-depressed ethanol stocks sure to scare investors

(Newser) - Stocks in solar-energy outfits are enjoying a sustained rally, but investors should remember the lesson of ethanol, Mark Gongloff writes in the Wall Street Journal. Once-loved ethanol stocks are now widely scorned—mainly because the energy source will never be viable without government subsidies. Still, despite solar’s advantages, shares... More »

Shoppers Give Up Organics as Food Prices Soar

Groceries high, organic even higher

(Newser) - With a gallon of organic milk costing a whopping $7 and a conventional gallon going for $2.99, cash-strapped shoppers are skipping organic groceries. That means the $19 billion industry, which has ballooned 150% since 2001, may now be shrinking, Newsweek reports. “I miss it terribly,” said one... More »

Food Prices May Force Cuts in Farm Subsidies

Normally 'untouchable' price supports at risk in Congress

(Newser) - Soaring food prices are putting pressure on Congress to withdraw some of the billions in  farm subsidies and ethanol incentives that have been considered politically untouchable for decades, the Los Angeles Times reports. With average farm income more than $89,000 this year—30% above the national average—the White... More »

Ethanol Guzzles 25% of US Corn; Links Food, Fuel Prices

Switch to corn-based fuel links grain and energy prices

(Newser) - When Congress passed its latest energy bill four months ago, the provision to boost ethanol requirements was exceedingly popular. But now, critics are lambasting that measure, and the ethanol movement in general, for linking skyrocketing food and oil prices. “We used to have a grain economy and a fuel... More »

What the Candidates Should Be Talking About

LA Times editors take a break from nonsense and turn to issues

(Newser) - Quick, before the public completely loses interest: Let’s leave aside “guns, bitterness, race, religion, geriatric radicals and other trivia,” and turn to real presidential political issues, Los Angeles Times editors write. They pose some questions that most need answering:
  • For John McCain: You voted against giving workers
... More »

Fill 'Er Up— In Your Own Back Yard

Distiller could home-brew ethanol for as little as $1 a gallon

(Newser) - Backyard brew may soon ease the pain at the gas pump if two entrepreneurs pushing a home ethanol system have their way, reports the New York Times. E-Fuel Corporation's device is roughly the size of a stackable washer-dryer and will sell for about $10,000. Using sugar or feedstock and... More »

Food Crisis Lurks in Soaring Prices, Says IMF Chief

Predicts widespread starvation, conflict

(Newser) - Rising food prices may soon have dire global consequences with starving people rioting in the streets, warns the head of the International Monetary Fund. “Hundred of thousands of people will be starving,” he said yesterday at a meeting in Washington. “Children will be suffering from malnutrition, with... More »

As Global Temps Rise, So Do ... Popcorn Prices

As farmers plant more crops for biofuels, moviegoers feel pinch

(Newser) - The movie stars driving flex-fuel SUV are driving up popcorn prices at the nation’s nickelodeons, and it’s not because of their salaries: A move toward planting crops for alternative-fuel production has made popping corn more scarce—and therefore more expensive, the Los Angeles Times reports. Moviegoers shouldn’t... More »

Gas Prices Hit Record High

$4 gallon of gas around the corner, experts warn

(Newser) - Gas prices rocketed 64 cents in the last year to a national average of $3.20 per gallon of regular, CNN reports.  A survey of prices at 5,000 gas stations found the highest price, $3.58, in San Francisco and the lowest, $2.99, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The... More »

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