World’s Scariest Words: ‘I’m an Environmentalist and I’m Here to Help’
Superb column, Mary Madigan, and I love your joining the debate.
Here’s another story to curl your hair, this one about biofuel subsidies, where the Law of Unintended Consequences kicks in and is costing us millions of dollars.
William LaJeunesse, one of Fox News Channel’s best journalists, reported yesterday on E.D. Hill’s America’s Pulse, on a biofuel scandal costing us millions of dollars caused by an IRS loophole called SPLASH AND DASH. We subsidize corn and soybean biofuels at $1.00 per gallon subsidy for every gallon of biodiesel blended with regular diesel.
Then the law of unintended consequences kicked in. Some smart guys found a loophole. Tankers carrying sugar cane fuel from South America or palm oil from Asia will come over filled with 9 million gallons of biofuel, they’ll dock in Houston or New Orleans, top off with 1% diesel, then that tanker will go to Europe where they will sell at below market rates, but the entire tanker qualifies for the $1. subsidy, $9 million dollars of US taxpayer money subsidizing the fuel of European drivers.
The problem with closing the loophole is that the farmers want the subsidy because there’s a huge market overseas for biodiesel as well and the environmentalists want to encourage biofuels whereas the American driver wants lower gas prices. What to do?
Well, I went ballistic and called my congressional representatives offices locally. Their numbers are in the government pages in the front of your phonebook. Print them out. We should make lots of calls in the next 4 1/2 months. After that, it will be too late, then voters become unimportant and special interest money becomes king until it’s time for the next election. Capitol Switchboard 202-225-3121.
I have become an America Firster because we are AT WAR. Our trade deals are hurting us because our best representatives too often become lobbyists for the other side: China, Japan, South Korea et al. A political friend heeded my appeal to sign Newt Gingrich’s Drill Here, Drill Now petition but wisely added: Drill Here, Drill Now , and SELL HERE. Congressman Shattuck is the one leading the fight to close the biofuels tax loophole. I support family farmers because Mother nature can be a real B*tich, I do not support agribusiness and I’d like to see these “smart guys” (and the oil speculators) fined of ALL their money.
