Originally posted by: Mark
I don't think subsidizing bio-fuels as it is done now makes much sense. Yes, invest in developing new technology that shows potential but no to investing in old tech like ethanol subsidies that we know will never make economic sense and in reality is just free money being handed out to big farmers.
Ethanol doesnt have a future beyond what the government mandates for it. I'm all for stopping it. EV technology largely displaces any need for ethanol in personal use vehicles which is really what it was meant for.
Biodiesel does have a future. Biodiesel potentially can be used to power large vehicles: container ships, jet planes, locamotives, etc. And there is ultimately an endless supply of it. Right now every restaurant pays someone to remove cooking oil and grease and dispose of it. Biodiesel will make that a profit for restaurants instead of an expense and then use it to power large fleets with much lower emissions.
The US is currently building infrastructure to manufacture enough to meet demand. In the meantime we import enough to meet demand. Its a short term investment that will turn into a free standing industry that creates US jobs.....just like the EV technology that the Boilermans of the world made the same arguyment against 15 years ago.
