Rep. Matt Gaetz: End Florida’s ethanol mandate
The following is a guest post from Rep. Matt Gaetz.
Some members of the Florida Legislature gauge their success or failure on the number of laws they are able to enact. I think a little differently. When my time in the legislature ends, I’ll always be proudest of the outdated, burdensome and sometimes downright silly laws and regulations I fought to repeal.
One prime example is the Florida requirement that gasoline sold in our state contain between nine and ten percent ethanol – which I hope to scrap during the upcoming legislative session.
The Florida ethanol mandate became law in 2008. The argument was that ethanol use could reduce carbon emissions and create “green jobs” in our state given the prolific sugar growing in South Florida. We now know the benefits of ethanol were overstated and the negative consequences overlooked.
Today, government is literally crawling into our gas cans with a product that can be harmful to our engines, our economy and our environment alike.
And with soaring gas prices impacting our pocketbooks, government should not mandate a product that cuts miles per gallon. Modest estimates show that Florida’s ethanol mandate is costing drivers a minimum of 75 dollars per year – putting the most significant financial burden on drivers living paycheck to paycheck. That’s unacceptable.
Auto manufacturers are so concerned about the corrosive impacts of ethanol on engines that they are warning consumers. Hyundai, for example, tells buyers, “the use of ethanol may result in negative effects to cold starting, as well as engine driveability…it will also result in reduced fuel economy.” Of specific interest to Floridians, the harm is even more pronounced with boat and lawnmower engines.
But more than engines are harmed by our ethanol policy. The effect of ethanol mandates on global food prices (and the impact to hungry people around the world) raises serious moral concerns with using corn as energy.
There are 3 billion malnourished people on earth – more than ever before in human history. Corn and grains make up over 80 percent of food intake worldwide. The U.S. has played a major role in feeding the world with our corn exports tripling over the last decade. If more corn is inefficiently converted to ethanol – and not exported – our trade deficit will worsen and poor people depending on our food exports will die.
Would harm to our engines, our economy and the most vulnerable people in the world be worthwhile if we could reduce dependence on foreign oil and help our environment? Maybe to some. The problem is that ethanol is an energy loser with serious environmental dangers.
A Cornell University research study concludes that ethanol generates a 29% energy loss, meaning it takes more than a gallon of gasoline to produce a gallon of ethanol. Even the Obama Administration’s EPA issued a 2009 report showing that ethanol mandates will increase carbon emissions in the short term and may need to be in effect for 100 years before significant reductions are realized.
Ethanol production is also highly water-intensive. It takes 1,700 gallons of water to produce one gallon of ethanol. In a state where water resources are scarce, diverting and polluting large amounts water is hardly an investment in a clean future.
Contrary to the promises, no substantial “green industry” has emerged from the ethanol mandate. By 2009, nine percent of all ethanol plants had gone bankrupt. With sugar prices climbing, the vast majority of ethanol used in Florida is corn-based and shipped from other states. Higher costs, borne by Floridians, are needlessly subsidizing corporate welfare for a distant corn industry.
As a nation, we must never end the search for efficient energy alternatives. Ethanol, however, is an affront to the efficiency we covet. Hopefully federal lawmakers will realize this reality if states like Florida show leadership.
The best way to unlock America’s energy potential is to reduce the red tape government winds around innovators and cutting edge research. When we unleash investment in new technology, more creative outcomes can be generated in the private sector by the forces of a free market.
Energy independence is the challenge of a generation – but we won’t meet that challenge with costly “feel-good” laws that hurt people. Repealing Florida’s ethanol mandate is a good place to start.
