(This guest blog is provided by Matt Reese who writes for Ohio’s Country Journal). It can be really hard to know which way to feel about some issues because these days it seems everyone has their own set of “facts” that conclusively proves their point. The problem, of course, is that as soon as you conclusively prove a point, you …
Love It or Hate It- NPR Has Mixed Emotions on Ethanol
NPR needs an all-hands-on-deck meeting. Recently, the reporters covering ethanol seem to be operating under almost opposing sets of assumptions. Sometimes, they hit it out of the park. Defying anti-ethanol propaganda disguised as conventional wisdom, they cut through the crud and achieve the accuracy journalists value above all. But, sometimes, they fall victim to the trap laid by anti-ethanol activists …
NASCAR Starts Fifth Year on E15
Fuel with 15 percent ethanol, known as E15, has been approved for sale by the Environmental Protection Agency since January 2011. Two months later Sunoco Green E15 debuted at the 2011 Daytona 500. American Ethanol celebrated the start of the fifth year of its partnership with NASCAR at the Great American Race this weekend. “They’ve put over six million hard-earned …
If It Looks Like Big Oil, and Walks Like Big Oil, It’s Probably…Big Oil
A story in today’s New York Times cites a new study by the World Resource Institute that attempts to discredit the significant and increasing contributions of biofuels to meet the world’s energy needs. On close inspection two things become abundantly clear. First the so-called “new” study is nothing but the same old stuff trotted out by the anti-ethanol crowd nearly …
Enjoy the Cheap Gas Ride
Not to sound like a lunatic but it may be entirely possible, maybe even likely, the American public will be begging for a return to $3.60 gas in the near future. I know it sounds crazy, but if you are following the public debate you can already see the discussion heating up to argue the true implications of today’s bargain …
Binging on Earth Day Irony
Ok, I admit I love irony. So I had to chuckle a little bit as everyone was getting fired up about the arrival of another Earth Day. The irony lies in the fact that this momentous occasion occurs two days after the anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. To refresh your memory this was …
Energy Independence No Greased Pig Fantasy
There is an old saying…”make hay while the sun is shining.” Dating back to at least 1546 this traditional farmer logic translates into grab opportunity while you can. This has never been truer regarding the nation’s energy situation. A new report by the Energy Information Administration makes that abundantly clear. EIA says the greased pig fantasy of energy independence in …
Would Someone Please Tax Me Like Big Oil?
It’s tax time again. You know that short window during the year when it’s ok to complain about being taxed. Given the number of people who remain unemployed it really is kind of bad form to complain the rest of the year. So as you belly up to do your part to keep the skids of government greased here is …
Big Oil Labels Family Farmers Extremists
A true David and Goliath battle is under way between the nation’s family farmers and Big Oil in the form of the American Petroleum Institute (API). And farmers in recent weeks bounced a big rock off the head of the petroleum behemoth. At issue is American ethanol. For months the oil industry has been involved in a well-funded campaign of …
2014 Resolution: Put Environment Back in EPA
I am rapidly getting in the holiday spirit but before I get to relaxed and magnanimous I have to send one final love letter to my friends in the petroleum industry. So with thoughts of sugar plums dancing in my head here goes: In doing my regular reading today I came across three separate stories that if looked at individually …