End the Ethanol Mandate

Wow.  I’m agreeing with the MJS that we should end the ethanol mandate. 

But federal mandates on ethanol should not be maintained or expanded. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and other Republicans who have signed a letter urging the Environmental Protection Agency to consider an ethanol mandate waiver have a point. As does Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), who has called for the repeal of tariffs on importing ethanol.

Questions remain on ethanol. There has been an impact on food prices, even if that impact is less than the impact of the rise in oil prices. There is an argument that ethanol is not as efficient as gasoline. Ethanol production is not environmentally benign; in addition to other issues, a report co-authored by a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher predicts that the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico will grow, thanks to ethanol production’s impact on the Mississippi watershed.