Support Fuel Freedom in 140 Characters or Less
Posted: August 21, 2013
What happens when you give people a choice in what they purchase? The market goes to work.
Recently, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association released data indicating that E85 sales jumped an impressive 43 percent in the second quarter of the fiscal year. With reports of a strong corn crop driving prices down, consumers with flex fuel vehicles are choosing to use their vehicles biofuel-ready capability to save big at the pump.
At the same time, Senators Klobuchar and Grassley are calling for an investigation of the practices Big Oil uses to squash choice and firm their stranglehold on America’s fuel economy. They want to make sure that the oil industry does not use nefarious tactics in its quest to quash consumer choice. They want all Americans to be able to benefit from domestically-produced biofuels the way Iowans already do today.
In the marketplace for fuels, consumers can only save when given choices. Overreliance on petroleum leaves consumers helpless when prices fluctuate. Fuel options, and the vehicles that allow them to take advantage of them, free Americans from the whims of a monopoly fully willing to put aside the best interests of the nation for the profitability of the few.
Show your support for Klobuchar and Grassley’s willingness to stand up to Big Oil and act in a bipartisan to defend America’s fuel freedom. Send a tweet applauding their actions at @amyklobuchar and @chuckgrassley today.
Scott Said,
August 21, 2013 @ 3:07 pm
When was this photo taken? The local E85 station has gas and biogas within a few cents of each other.
How about we talk about what this has done to the price of food and animal feed and the havoc this plays throughout the economy? Dairies are going out of business because of the high cost of feed and global food prices have skyrocketed since this debacle first began.
Cathryn Said,
August 21, 2013 @ 4:00 pm
This photo was actually taken a month ago in Iowa. E85 prices differ across the country. Some retailers choose not to pass the savings on to the consumer. Some are prohibited from doing so because of their franchise agreements.
The affect of corn prices on the price of food is quite minimal. Consider a gallon of milk - only 19 cents of that gallon comes from the corn component even at higher corn prices than we see today. Only 8 cents of the price of a box of corn flakes can be attributed to the cost of corn. Even as corn prices have fallen, the food prices have not. Again, consider that many retailers may keep the extra profit or have to pay higher costs in other areas such as for transportation.
Finally, the number of dairies currently closing comes as part of a trend that began when dairy exports began to rise in the late 2000s. As dairy exports rose due to the increase in exports, many dairy farms grew larger either by consolidation or by internal growth. When the price of dairy contracted as these larger producers changed the economy of scale within the industry, smaller dairies were pushed out of business. The number of dairy cows in the overall U.S. herd remains virtually unchanged.
While I do not agree with your point, I do agree that you can choose to support Big Oil. I just ask that you examine your statements more closely for accuracy in the future.