EU to limit use of crop-based biofuels

[Mark]

The European Union will impose a limit on the use of crop-based biofuels over fears they are less climate-friendly than initially thought and compete with food production, draft EU legislation seen by Reuters showed. The draft rules, which will need the approval of EU governments and lawmakers, represent a major shift in Europe's much-criticized biofuel policy and a tacit admission by policymakers that the EU's 2020 biofuel target was flawed from the outset.
The plans also include a promise to end all public subsidies for crop-based biofuels after the current legislation expires in 2020, effectively ensuring the decline of a European sector now estimated to be worth 17 billion euros ($21.7 billion) a year.
"The (European) Commission is of the view that in the period after 2020, biofuels should only be subsidized if they lead to substantial greenhouse gas savings... and are not produced from crops used for food and feed," the draft said.
A Commission spokeswoman said the EU executive would not comment on the details of leaked proposals.
The policy u-turn comes after EU scientific studies cast doubt on the emissions savings from by crop-based fuels, and following a poor harvest in key grain growing regions that pushed up prices and revived fears of food shortages.
Under the proposals, the use of biofuels made from crops such as rapeseed and wheat would be limited to 5 percent of total energy consumption in the EU transport sector in 2020.
Crop-based fuel consumption currently accounts for about 4.5 percent of total EU transport fuel demand, according to the latest national figures for 2011, ensuring that there will be little room to increase current production volumes.
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[max1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_in_Brazil

This is a pretty good read and if you are still curious there are plenty of sources at the bottom of the page. These folks have it going on, and mainly because they have a lot of land to grow the sugarcane on. I dont know what the answer is for us but it would seem to me that some type of bio-fuel program could be used that wont mess with food prices can we grow sugarcane here?

[Beau Stockard]

"The (European) Commission is of the view that in the period after 2020, biofuels should only be subsidized if they lead to substantial greenhouse gas savings... and are not produced from crops used for food and feed," the draft said.

The EU nations are in general agreement that global warming is worse or worsening more quickly than even the IPCC climate change reports had conservatively estimated. The United States needs this same EU "rule" when considering our own heaviest investments in bio-fuels , natural gas ,and other bridge technology and alternative fuels to oil and coal . Bridge ' fuels' have limitations that prevent them from being capable alone of lowering our greenhouse gas emissions to a more stable 350 ppm in time to prevent irreversible climate change damage to the planet. The best practices policy would be to put the same amount of investment and effort into developing wind and solar as we put into stabilizing our financial and housing market economic systems in 2008.

[max1]

The best practices policy would be to put the same amount of investment and effort into developing wind and solar as we put into stabilizing our financial and housing market economic systems in 2008.

WE need a new president first.

[Beau Stockard]

We sure don't need Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan to get elected . Both of them proved that they don't give two-shits for Americans ,or America's future survival .Romney and Ryan only care for themselves and their fat-cat billionaire donors.

[Bellicose]

Hey at least they are being honest and upfront I'm taking. Unlike most who say this and that. Then they get elected and don't do it at all, or they say sorry I couldn't do it my first term, please re-elect me so I can fulfill what I said I would do my first term.

They all lie, no matter how you look at it. That's just their nature and what they do.

[Beau Stockard]

Bellicose,

Hey at least they are being honest and upfront I'm taking.

To be sure,buddy , you are not talking about Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan ,but those other guys in the White House these last four years. President Obama and VP Joe Biden saved GM and Chrysler with millions of U.S. auto worker jobs, smoked Bin Laden, kept American shores safe from any 9/11 type attacks, ended one overseas war, winded down another, reformed healthcare, saved Medicare and Social Security as it was created , controlled Wall Street excesses, improved home owner protections from fraud and abuse and provided tax credits to new home buyers that have rejuvenated the domestic housing market, and passed a Stimulus that halted the steep rise in unemployment at 10.8% , slowly declining to 8% today, with 3.8 million jobs created (57% increase since 2009) ---and if Republicans had not blocked a second Stimulus (America Jobs Act) in 2011 that could have speeded up recovery and added even more jobs quicker then the United States would be even better off. And what has the Romney/Ryan campaign done for us?

"We are not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact-checkers," says Neil Newhouse; a Romney pollster

See more @ Robert Reich's Blog: www.robertreich.org

[Bellicose]

Well they can't do anything as they are only campaigning. They would have to be elected in order them to be able to do anything. For us. So it's really an unfair assessment.

The auto bailout, didn't that come at the expense of us Americans? Isn't the Country deeper in debt? Weren't the troops supposed to be out sooner then they actually were?

How about someone stops giving tax breaks for outsourcing and thn I'm sure there would be a TON more jobs in the US.

[Chase]

this is about the EU's ruling on bio-fuels, not the president.

fwiw, we don't need sugarcane to make ethanol without touching the food supply. there are a few companies right now that can use stover to make ethanol.

[max1]

fair enough for me. Im sorry for taking the thread in a different direction.

[max1]

Stover eh...a lot of that is tilled under at the end of the growing season.

[EpicWin]

this is about the EU's ruling on bio-fuels, not the president.

fwiw, we don't need sugarcane to make ethanol without touching the food supply. there are a few companies right now that can use stover to make ethanol.

[Beau Stockard]

Sorry , Chase , but it is important to answer Bellicose's questions . Bellicose,

The auto bailout, didn't that come at the expense of us Americans? Isn't the Country deeper in debt? Weren't the troops supposed to be out sooner then they actually were?

Let me just answer your three questions ,Bellicose ,then we can get back to the EU decision on bio-fuels without hijacking the thread any longer . The auto-bailouts did not 'come at the expense of us Americans'. GM and Chrysler have paid back their initial government loans in a remarkable timely fashion and our Government is on schedule to sell off its stock ownership in GM and make the $26 billion dollar profit needed for tax payers to break even . Also, millions of American jobs were saved. Actually, in answer to your second question, President Obama has been the lowest government spender since Eisenhower. Government spending , national deficits , and growth in big government were all significantly higher in the Ronald Reagan and George W Bush Administrations. And thirdly, American troops withdrew from Iraq on schedule and in a very professional, orderly manner under President Obama's command. Now, back to EU decision-making on bio-fuels.

[EpicWin]

Sorry, without hijacking the thread any longer.

Why apologize for something you intentionally feel compelled to post in every one of your infested liberal dribble posts?

[Beau Stockard]

Epic Win, don't fault me buddy for being an avid truthseeker . I can happily provide you with some better ,juicier faults and vices of mine that you can tackle with more rewarding relish.

[Bellicose]

My bad Chase, I actually did not even realize what thread I was psoting in until you said it.

More Corn, YAYYYYYYYYY

[Beau Stockard]

Bellicose,

My bad Chase

Of course, buddy , you were not the first to interject the issue of the Presidency into this thread. Don't be shy max. Shout it right out when you know the answer,pal.

Originally Posted by Beau Stockard
The best practices policy would be to put the same amount of investment and effort into developing wind and solar as we put into stabilizing our financial and housing market economic systems in 2008.



Max1 replied , "WE need a new president first"

No matter, it's small fish. You still are an honorable , tough guy with a soft heart for Mother Nature in my book, Bellicose .

[max1]

fair enough for me. Im sorry for taking the thread in a different direction.

Bellicose, Of course, buddy , you were not the first to interject the issue of the Presidency into this thread. Don't be shy max. Shout it right out when you know the answer,pal. No matter, it's small fish. You still are an honorable , tough guy with a soft heart for Mother Nature in my book, Bellicose .

Your so shrill........

[max1]

I tried to rep myself, its hard being right ALL the time ;-)

[EpicWin]

I tried to rep myself, its hard being right ALL the time ;-)

Rep approved.