Sorry, Mr. Matthews, Fossil Fuels Are Not the Way to Go: PennLive Letters
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/PennLive) In a recent diatribe on Pennlive, (“Don’t subsidize renewable energy; fossil fuels are the way to go,” Dec 15), Merrill Matthews wrongly states that corn ethanol is more expensive than gasoline and receives subsidies. He needs to get his facts straight.
Corn ethanol receives no tax subsidies today. Oil companies, however, continue to benefit from more than $4 billion in annual subsidies. Despite the taxpayer largesse, corn ethanol has been less expensive than gasoline for most of the past five years.
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According to EPA, the transportation sector is the second largest contributor to domestic greenhouse gas emissions behind electricity production. But when compared to fracking and tar sands, conventional ethanol lowers those emissions by 37 to 40 percent.
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Lawmakers in 2007 had the foresight to establish the Renewable Fuel Standard to increase the use of biofuels. Today, 65 percent of Americans support that standard. It’s time for Mr. Matthews to get on board. READ MORE