Pawlenty calls for US to cut ethanol subsidies

Tim Pawlenty, et al, on ethanol subsidies

 

The Daily Caller states that recent presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty told Corn Belt Iowans Monday that ethanol subsidies must cease. The previous Minnesota governor did not mince words, calling ethanol subsidies an idea that needs to die now. Even though ethanol fuel continues to have its supporters, the escalating criticisms over the fuel’s inefficiency and impact on world food prices makes it questionable, argues Intellectual Takeout.

U.S. farms have to grow corn

When it comes to United States farming, growing corn is very essential. Even traditional bluegrass nuggets like “The Boy Who Wouldn’t Hoe Corn” equate the ability to grow corn with male virility:

“Why do you come for me to wed? Can’t even make your own corn grain. Single I am and will remain; A lazy man I won’t maintain.”

Not always a cultural thing

The United States has become more interested in renewable fuel sources such as ethanol because of the automotive industry’s interest in fuel efficiency. Ethanol fuel production is supported by the National Corn Growers Association and other political lobbies.

Pawlenty is just one of many that do not support the subsidy. He does not think it is worth it. There have already been shortages in corn creating a price surge because grains have been used to produce alternative fuels to gasoline. When it comes to value, Pawlenty puts cheap grain quite high. It is higher than food even is to him. He was able to help manage fiscal challenged in Minnesota while reducing ethanol subsidies. This has given him confidence that he can do the same in the U.S.

“I’m here today to tell Iowans the truth about federal energy subsidies,” said Pawlenty during his presidential candidacy announcement. “(That includes) federal subsidies for ethanol… (They must) be phased out gradually. We need to do it fairly. But we need to do it.”

Will ethanol increase fuel efficiency?

Scientists explain that ethanol fuel has 34 percent less energy per unit of volume. This is when it is compared to traditional gasoline used in vehicles. As much as 50 percent fuel can be used in an ethanol only engine than that of a standard gasoline engine.

The failure to establish a solid connection between ethanol fuel and greater miles per gallon brings ethanol’s viability into question. It may not be possible to add ethanol fuel to the mix considering the idea that Keith Crain and others have that national MGP standards need to go up.

Articles cited

Auto News

autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110523/OEM01/305239986/1137

The Daily Caller

dailycaller.com/2011/05/23/pawlenty-announces-2012-run-under-banner-of-truth-tells-iowans-that-ethanol-subsidies-must-be-phased-out/

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel

Intellectual Takeout

intellectualtakeout.org/library/agriculture/ethanol-renewable-energy

National Corn Growers Association

ncga.com/

Tim Pawlenty

timpawlenty.com/

Red light cameras may be not as effective as thought

Red light cameras that take photos of people in the act of running a red light, are a hotly contested item. It is claimed that installing the cameras on traffic lights at intersections can save lives, as well as make a little additional money for the city.

However, not all the evidence points to that being correct. Conflicting studies are pointing to the cameras being a waste of money.

Possibility of safer drivers with cameras

All of the red light cameras claim to conserve lives. AOL News states this might not be the case though. Red light cameras photograph the driver or license plate of car going through an intersection during a red light. The driver or owner of the car later gets a ticket in the mail. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently released a study claiming traffic cameras reduced fatalities, citing that 14 cities with the cameras experienced reduced fatalities in crashes between 1996 and 2004 that involved one vehicle running a red light.

MSNBC reports that 48 of the 99 cities studied also had fewer accidents that were fatal even though there were red light cameras. More rear end collisions take place with the cameras, some evidence suggests, because they’re distracting. The Federal Highway Administration found in 2005 that rear-end collisions increased by almost 15 percent at red light camera equipped intersections, with a 25 percent increase in injuries.

Accidents less likely with longer yellow light

Motorists are able to slow down easier when you will find longer lasting yellow lights which decreasing traffic accidents. When the yellow light time increases, the National Motorist Association website explains you will find studies that show red light running incidents stop entirely while a Texas research showed there was a 40 percent decrease in the chance a motorist will run a red light with one additional second of yellow light. The city of Loma Linda, Calif., observed a 92 percent reduction in drivers running red lights.

Number of tickets makes city money

Moving violations mean tickets. Cities end up getting a lot of revenue from these tickets. About a third of the revenue from red light cameras goes to the business that installs and maintains it. Nevertheless, about $1 million a year in revenue comes from these cameras for the cities. States typically require 4 second “yellow lights.” This is the minimum. The cameras were installed in places with shorter yellow lights though. They’re usually around 3 seconds. Drivers are more likely to get tickets if there is less time to react.

Information from

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/41362910/ns/us_news-life

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/23710970/?GT1=43001

AOL News

autos.aol.com/article/red-light-camera-study-statistics/

Midwest, Northeast automobile plants feel the sting of winter storms

Intense winter storms have slowed road traffic to a crawl in the northeastern U.S., and this includes commercial shipping of car parts. As a result, many auto production factories across the North United States that are running out of parts have been forced to amend their schedules or even turn off, reports Car News.

Icy roads lead to missed shifts, parts shortages

Canceling first shifts at Chrysler was common at 12 factories. There were parts shortages that made this take place, although later shifts nevertheless happened. The road conditions have brought on trucks to have a difficult time getting to Subaru and Toyota Motors facilities meaning Ford Motors had shortages too. If the blizzards continue, both Honda and General Motors admit the part shortages could possibly be an issue, although they have not been yet.

Production is not the issue. Delivery is, in accordance with Neil De Koker who’s the CEO of Original Equipment Supplier Association.

“A number of parts are just-in-time delivery and even if you are making parts, if the roads are bad, it’s difficult to get it delivered,” he said.

Midwest automotive factories have had lots of problems due to winter storms and freezing rain, especially in Indiana and OH. In Charleston, S.C., and Farmington Hills, Mich., there have not been any problems experienced by United States arm of Robert Bosch GmhH, Robert Bosch, LLC. Delivery depends on the location of the customer. Becky MacDonald explained the blizzard position makes all the difference.

Making up for lost time on snow days

Northeast and Midwest blizzards have made going outside tough for every person, but De Koker told Automotive News that there might be a positive way of looking at the run of extreme winter weather. Some suppliers might be behind on production. Many automobile facilities were already facing parts shortages before the storms, so the freeze in the action is a frosty blessing in disguise.

Citations

Auto News

autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110202/OEM01/302029958/1424

The definition of being snowed in

youtube.com/watch?v=dY4OGwZ7Evw

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