LAist: I'd Rather Get Bills

Charlie Peters

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 01:30:02 -0800

Ethanol Eco nomics… Tom McClintock’s Citizens for the California Republic, 06-18-2007 The public policy farce that the “Green Governor” unleashed with AB 32 (the so-called “greenhouse gas” law) continues. Using their newly granted power to slash carbon dioxide emissions, the California Air Resources Board (all Schwarzenegger appointees) has mandated that every gallon of gasoline sold in California must contain at least 10 percent ethanol by 2010. First, a few basic facts. Californians use about 15 billion gallons of gasoline a year, meaning that the new ten percent CARB edict will require about 1.5 billion gallons of ethanol. Corn is the most common ethanol-producing crop in the country, yielding about 350 gallons of ethanol fuel per acre. That means converting about 4.3 million acres of farmland to ethanol production, just to meet the California requirement. But according to the USDA, California currently has only 11 million acres devoted to growing crops of all kinds. Get the picture? The entire purpose of this exercise is to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions from California automobiles (although Californians already have the 8th lowest per capita gasoline consumption in the country). And that’s where the public policy discussion becomes farce. As more acres are brought into agricultural production, the demand for nitrogen fertilizer will grow accordingly, which is itself produced through the use of fossil fuels. And the most likely source of new agricultural land will be converting rain forests to agriculture, although deforestation is already the second biggest man-made contributor of carbon dioxide emissions, ranking just behind internal combustion. And here’s the clincher: ethanol is produced through fermentation, by which glucose is broken down into equal parts of ethanol and – you guessed it – carbon dioxide. Obviously, this edict will hit gasoline consumers hard: ethanol is less efficient than gasoline and it’s more expensive – meaning you’ll have to buy more gallons at the pump and pay more per gallon. The bigger impact, though, will be at the grocery store. By radically and artificially increasing the demand for ethanol, the cost pressure on all agricultural products (including meat and dairy products that rely on grain feed) will be devastating. Earlier this year, spiraling corn prices forced up by artificially increased demand for ethanol produced riots throughout Mexico. The CARB regulations will undoubtedly hit Californians hard – but they will hit starving third world populations even harder. Basic foodstuffs are a small portion of the family incomes in affluent nations, but they consume more than half of family earnings in third world countries. So when the global warming alarmists predict worldwide starvation, they’re right. They’re creating it.

Charlie Peters

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:47:09 -0800

-----Original Message----- From: governor@govmail.ca.gov [mailto:governor@govmail.ca.gov] Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 6:52 PM To: David Walker Subject: Re:RE: ,…, CNET News.com Green-tech pros eye cash in carbon Thank you for your letter regarding our environment. I appreciate hearing from constituents who are concerned about protecting California's natural resources. California is known around the world for its incredible beaches, magnificent natural parks and beautiful sky. Our state has been a leader in protecting and managing these resources for the past half century. I want you to know that I am committed to ensuring that all natural resources are protected and maintained so that Californians can continue to enjoy these treasures. Since coming into office, I have created an ocean protection plan to protect our coastline against offshore drilling and improve the water quality of our ocean. In addition, I established the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, which is the largest conservancy in California, preserving and protecting 25 million acres in the Sierra Nevada range. To further protect California's environment, I will continue to support the Clean Air Act to help reduce the amount of air pollution in our state. And because some of the biggest contributors to air pollution are the vehicles on the road, I created the "Breathe Easier" campaign to buy the dirtiest old cars and scrap them, allowing motorists to purchase cleaner cars instead. Our future is in biofuels and hydrogen, not polluting petroleum fuels. That's why I created the California Hydrogen Highway, and we now have dozens of hydrogen fueling stations across the state and many hydrogen cars and buses on the road. I also have supported the development of solar and wind technologies to promote clean and safe sources of energy. Again, thank you for writing to me. It is heartening to know that Californians care about the future of our Golden State Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger

Charlie Peters

Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:59:50 -0800

The $0.51 per gal. corporate welfare to the oil refiners for adding 5.6% ethanol to California gas is about $500,000,000.00 per year. The ethanol may add over $1.00 per gal. to the gas profit in California. That may be about $100 billion in oil profit from California motorists. The science is interesting but so is the money. A $4 billion Prop. 87 oil tax may add $40 billion in oil profit. Charlie Peters (510) 537-1796 Clean Air Performance Professionals CAPP contact: Charlie Peters (510) 537-1796 cappcharlie@earthlink.net

Charlie Peters

Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:58:40 -0800