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Letter: Reform ethanol

Last month, the so-called “renewable fuel standard” turned 10 years old. Most people are familiar with the federal ethanol mandate through their time at the gasoline pump, and the “this fuel contains ethanol” disclaimer.

Rather than being a cause for celebration, however, this milestone is a reminder of how a well-intentioned policy can go wrong, and how fixing a broken law can be more difficult than passing it in the first place.

The federal ethanol mandate was sold to the American people as an environmental benefit that would bring cleaner air and combat climate change. But it has instead become a special-interest boondoggle that has brought higher crop prices for corn farmers and destroyed millions of acres of wildlife habitat.



Rep. Welch from Vermont is leading an effort to rethink ethanol, and to lead Congress to fix this broken policy.  Colorado’s congressional delegation should join in this effort before more land goes under the plow, before more waters become plagued with toxic algae, and before more consumers must repair lawn-mowers, boats, and other equipment damaged by ethanol. 

To learn about how people in Colorado can get involved visit the “Reform Ethanol” Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ReformEthanol. And let your senators and member of Congress know its time to reform the ethanol mandate.



Pete Kolbenschlag

Paonia


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