Dan Gardner gets it half right;
By September, if the new law comes into force, an average of five per cent of the fuel content of gasoline will have to come from renewable fuels made from corn or wheat. Long discussed, the government formally announced at the beginning of April that it would go ahead with the regulation.
Why wouldn’t they? Environmentalists love it because it will reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. In combination with other regulatory changes, the reductions will be “up to about four megatonnes per year,” a government press release says, which is “the equivalent of taking one million vehicles off the road.”
Farmers and agri-business love the regulation, too. Mandatory biofuel content means a huge volume of guaranteed sales. That’s big money.
So the Conservative government wins praise from across the political spectrum. And, just as importantly, the Tories get to say they’ve done something big to fight climate change. What’s not to love? Group hug!
But then reality barges in and spoils the moment.
A week after the politicians in charge of the government announced the regulation was going ahead, civil servants working for that same government quietly published the results of a cost-benefit analysis of the regulation. By assigning a reasonable price of $25 per tonne of emissions, the analysts concluded the regulation would deliver $580 million worth of reductions over 25 years. On the cost side, the regulation will not only raise the price of gasoline, but it will also require the construction of new plants and infrastructure. Total bill: $3.2 billion.
So it will deliver $1 in benefits for every $5.50 it costs. Impressive, isn’t it?
And we don’t need no stinking carbon tax, either, Dan.
But that’s not all! Let’s flashback…
Trouble is, a gallon of ethanol is 30 percent less efficient than a gallon of gas meaning that the more ethanol you mix in, the worse your gas mileage. Department of Energy studies show steadily decreasing fuel economy as ethanol blends rise from so-called E10 (fuel composed of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gas) up through E15 and E20 — with E20 suffering a 7.7 percent fuel efficiency loss.
Yet DOE’s green-zealot-in-chief Steven Chu still favors an increased mix of ethanol. So while automakers are sweating under the federal gun to make increasingly fuel-efficient engines, the government is mandating they do it with less-efficient fuel.
Not content with putting car companies out of business? Wait until you find out what our trusty governments are doing to your local auto body repair shop. Or shall we say – the one you used to have. More on that later.
Ah yes, autobody repair. VOC content! VOCs are BAD, they must be eliminated!
So Kate, how do you like working with the new water-based stuff? Kinda hard to push it through an airbrush I bet.
Say, maybe Tim Naumetz and all those autobody workers who get disemployed thanks to the government can retrain as pipe fitters for the spanky new ethanol plants!
Lemon? Lemonade!
Here in AB,the gubbermint is howling for us to reduce our energy use.Fine by me.More money in my pocket.BUT…..they say they want me to not use my clothes dryer,but they have a law(yes,a law)that says I can’t put up a clothes line.Am I missing something here??
Nope. They want you to wear wet cloths in the winter and decrease the surplus population.
We have the same laws here in Dumbtario. I put up a cloths line just to p1ss them off, never use it.
I remember back in the early ’90s “Mother Nature’s Gas Station”. I tried their fuel once in a while when I had no other option and got really lousy gas mileage well at least until the engine blew. Never used that crap again. What ever happened to ‘Mother Natures Gas Station’? Did they go broke or were they bought out?
We have more oil than Saudi Arabia, why do we need this crap?
Ethanol has been around since 1930’s and was discontinued because it was/is inefficient.
They keep screaming energy shortage but don’t go after the oil, stop all hydro projects and close coal fired generators.
Coal is the most efficient source of energy on the planet!
Wind generators are grossly inefficient and Global warming is a fraud.
I feel like I’m living in a cartoon and it ain’t funny.
In 1783 the volcano now going off caused a yr without summer and massive crop failures in Europe, if that happens again and our food goes towards making inefficient fuel how do you think the people will respond.
Harper is really pissing me off with this green bull shyte, my membership renewal is sitting on the table, it’s been there for weeks and I’m not sure I want to renew if the new government is just as factually challenged as the old government. Perhaps Harper needs a refresher in Conservatism.
What a coincidence,Joe, I tried that Mother Nature’s fuel (Mohawk?) in my motorcycle in the 80’s and burnt out a valve. Cost me about $500 to repair it. I never used that crap again.
Yeah Mohawk got bought out by Husky.
Never liked the name btw after OKA.
Yep, he’s right on ethanol but wrong on carbon taxes. Here’s where his thought process goes awry, “Meanwhile, the clock ticks and the climate changes”. Apparently, he still believes that climate should remain static and humans have the power to control climate. The lack of statistically significant warming, in defiance of the models, should shake his faith in AGW. Although I’ve noticed that real world observations are often ignored by both the faithful and those invested in AGW for other reasons. At least he is beginning to look at the cost-benefit ratios of “fixing” Earth’s climate. Soon he may discover that carbon taxes are also unproductive in the real world. Governments with carbon taxes have to exempt important industries to prevent their loss to lower tax jurisdictions. Sweden is a good example. France’s carbon tax didn’t pass the legal system because of its offloading of costs onto citizens. Besides enriching government revenues by penalizing productive industry and essential products (fuel, electricity, transportation) will only result in new slush funds for social programs. His praise of Dion suggests that this is the true attraction.
“So it will deliver $1 in benefits for every $5.50 it costs. Impressive, isn’t it”
And even crazier for taxpayers in Ontario, Dulton’s new Feed in Tariff Program will pay $15 for each $1 of real electricity.
Now there’s a Reality Barge, or Titanic if you prefer.
The present political climate is unsustainable by any historical standard. Democracy-schmocracy, the equation stays the same: “crop failure = off with their heads”.
Green is the new stupid.
> By September, if the new law comes into force
And you folks still don’t believe you are being ruled by illuminati? Harper-shmarper, Iggy-shmiggy, makes no difference – they are all bloodsuckers, all corrupt, all treacherous.
So this goes on each donation form I am still getting every few months:
http://www.gtfod.com/Dodge/image.axd?picture=2009%2F9%2FMiddleFinger.jpg
Gaia kicks AGW in the ash.
Gardner gets “it” wrong; 100% wrong.
Where is the proof of the “theory of climate change”? The proof is da proof as Liberal Ad$Cam Kyoto Chretien pointed out in his twisted mind.
Explain where “climate change” theory is hiding. Show the “sceptics” da proof of “climate change”.
Give us the links to the proof of “climate change theory”.
Until you can do this, we say: There is no theory of “climate change”.
Gardner:
“the greenhouse gases that cause climate change.”
(op cit)
…-
“Iceland volcano still spewing ash
The intensity of the Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption in South Iceland increased last night, although the cloud of volcanic ash being produced is much smaller now than it was late last week, according to new radar readings.
A stiff northerly breeze is currently blowing over the volcano, bringing ash south over Asolfsskali and Solheimajokull last night. Visibility in the affected areas has been reduced to 400 to 500 metres or less. There was nearly no visibility at all this morning in Thorvaldseyri.”
http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/04/19/iceland-volcano-still-spewing-ash/
@ The Phantom 10:57AM : “We have the same laws here in Dumbtario. I put up a cloths line just to p1ss them off, never use it.”
Speaking of dumb, FYI – those bylaws were vetoed two years ago. By McGuinty and Co.
By assigning a reasonable price of $25 per tonne of emissions
How is that “reasonable”? It’s a made-up number with no basis in any kind of reality. Even the Euros’ ridiculous fake market of fake credits for fake reductions prices carbon dioxide at far below $25/tonne.
The world is run by crazy people because the media supports and promotes crazy people. That much we know. The question is why?
I actually wasted several precious minutes reading that Gardner idiot. His assumption of CO2 AGW being real makes his whole article a waste of time….his math/science meets IPCC standards….nuff said.
Ethanol makes stupid math….the ethanol fails to provide the energy/petroleum used to grow the feedstock grain. There is an offset benefit with the distillers grain being an excellant protein additive for livestock is not as cost/energy efficent as soy.
Ethanol blends vastly reduce the life of exhaust systems but make environmental sense up to 5% by replacing lead as an octane enhancer. Beyond 5% ethanol is stupid.
The oil sands is not polution but rather a cleanup of Gaia’s biggest oil spill.
The ozone/freon nonsense of the ’90’s was a test run for the bigger CO2 scam.
Drill baby drill!!!
CO2 is not a problem…never was….smog is….
McSquinty is a stupid dupe for the enviros but like Mussulini making the trains run on time….years back sensibly addressed the clothline issue by legistlating the right to have a clothes line.
Condos and certain municipalitys had previously banned clothes lines….McSquinty put an end to that.
I don’t like McSquinty with his lawn herbicide ban but in all fairness he remedied the clothes line issue.
Coal rocks….
Wind and solar are useless/stupid…..and only possible with subsidies or high cost electricity.
Nuclear is controversial…..financiers demand 100% loan guarantees rather than 80%….environmental and lunitic ignorant enviro opposition are are a cost factor…delays etc.
While there is yet to be a death in North America due to nuclear power…wind has killed hundreds—falls, electrocution, mechanical mangling…..
“The China Sydrome” is a Hollywood invention. Three Mile Island had a core meltdown but NO CASUALTIES. Chernobyll had not containment vessel(cheap design and idiot operators) and yet did not do a “China Syndrome”….
Write your MP. And CC someone in Opposition for good measure.
I think the main point of the clothesline ban and reversal is lost. It is ridiculous that government feels the need to interfere in its citizens clothes drying decisions in the first place.
I can’t burn that shite in my Motorcycles or outboards, it develops no power. Can you see a real gas grey market coming???
I did the “honourable” thing and tried the biofuel in my furnace and the consumption went up 18 percent. I switched back to real fuel and, despite the idiotic BC carbon tax, kept my house warm cheaper.
I am sure that Campbell out here in Lotus Land had a brain transplant with Glen Clark – out of the frying pan into the fire (with appropriate carbon offsets of coourse…)
The same Dept of Energy quoted above says the fuel economy loss with E10 is about 4%. I’ve decided to use Premium fuel which has no ethanol in it, but costs 10% more. It’s worth the extra 6% to be “dirty”. 🙂
Davenport said: “Speaking of dumb, FYI – those bylaws were vetoed two years ago. By McGuinty and Co.”
Yes dear boy, but my clothesline is considerably more than two years old.
Those bylaws haven’t been taken off the books, either. Dalton just said the OMB or whatever wasn’t going to pursue charges. A subtle distinction, but a distinction none the less I’m sure you’ll agree.
Davenport-
The laws governing the installation and use of outdoor clotheslines is a MUNICIPAL Issue NOT a Provincial one. McGuinty has nothing to do with it, so quit with the BS.
Well said Sasquatch!
‘Green is the new stupid’. Skip
Short and precise. How can any thinking person find any decency in the obscene act of burning food? Indirectly killing people – burning food in cars puts the price of food up and it makes crop failure a famine because countries don’t maintain reserves.
People boiling a pot of gas for Sunday dinner? Bishop Bompus, of the Yukon, boiled his seal skin boots when he was stranded in a blizzard near Dawson City in the 1890’s – he lived…how healthy will this biofuel be….?
In his recent speeches Lord Monckton has claimed over a dozen food riots worldwide in the last two years due to corn and wheat being used as fuel. If we take Canada’s food production out of the mix, look out.
those ethanol back room boys are in big with the Conservatives
Gotta 61 austin-healey 3000 with triple SU’s, used mother natures fuel ONCE, total re-build. I guess I’ll have to swap in a six from a Lexus GX 460.
oops V-8, from a roll over.
Thats the left for you. Always looking for solutions to none existent problems by brining death. I wonder how many will died this year because land that should be used for food. Is now used for Prius drivers to exult themselves to the World as savers of the environment.
Prissy population controllers rejoicing in every population fall by murder or design.
When it comes to Marxism ideology trumps life every time.
JMO
It gets even better. As Kate mentioned, alcohol is a poor store of energy relative to gasoline. At the same time, modern agriculture is hydrocarbon intensive. The combines and tractors use hydrocarbon fuel, fertilizer and pesticides are hydrocarbon based, etc.
So, new processing plants and infrastructure aside, a unit of hydrocarbon energy is required to produce less than a unit of alcohol energy.
That may be satisfactory for food production, but not energy production. Just like wind power, production of alcohol crops depends on the subsidy.
To make it even better, food prices will rise as well, as crop production is earmarked for alcohol.
All of this to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.
And yet another POS policy brought to us by the Harper CPC.
So ,,, it’s OK to build a corn refinery for your gas tank but not an oil refinery.
It’s because Canada has a world leading surplus of corn just waiting to be burned?
(or is it wheat,no no ,, barley? I get so confused with all the crap this country grows all year round because all the ice and snow are gone forever after a polar bear drowned and Al Gore got a peace prize.)
If ethanol becomes standard, my truck will need a supercharger. That’s just too bad. Might as well see about a stroker kit while I’m at it.
I realize I’m pissing in the wind here but saying “environmentalists love ethanol” is a bit ill informed.