U.S. has "foot on the gas" on ethanol: Vilsack

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - The United States "can do it all" -- turn more corn into ethanol without running short of food, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Thursday, as oil prices soared and the government raised its forecast of food price increases this year.

"There is no reason for us to take the foot off the gas," said Vilsack, referring to biofuels at a two-day Agriculture Department conference on the outlook for this year's crops. "We can do it all."

A record 5 billion bushels of corn will be used to make ethanol in the marketing year opening on Sept 1, up slightly from this year, said USDA. It also forecast food prices will rise 3.5 percent this year -- double the U.S. inflation rate.

Former president Bill Clinton, who spoke shortly after Vilsack, said there were stark trade-offs in using crops to make fuel. They affect the food supply in other nations as well as decisions around the world on where to grow crops.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/25/us-usda-forum-ethanol-idUSTRE71O03V20110225

[Common Sense Party]

1. Stupid and short-sighted. n/t

[joeybee12]

2. Vilaseck is an idiot...nt

[ixion]

6. Indeed. Of the Highest Order

Because that is a seriously stupid statement he just made.

Oh, and there's this: ETHANOL SUCKS. You have to buy a fuel treatment just to get an engine to run smoothly.

[SpiralHawk]

7. You nailed it. My truck runs like shit on that shit

It's just another RepubliScam.

[sofa king]

31. It also devours fuel lines.

Good luck finding a working moped from the 1970s to the 1990s, as most have already been destroyed by the ethanol additives. The ethanol eats through the fuel line, starts leaking, and poof!, it's for sale on Crag's List with a "burnt carb."

As an added laugh, most of the cheap fuel additives contain ethanol and methanol, compounding the problem.

[provis99]

3. Vilsack is a twerp.

Of course he favors corn-based ethanol; he's from Iowa. Nothing he says about ethanol should be taken seriously.

[Newest Reality]

4. Comedy Routine?

He's practicing, right?

[JJW]

5. Corporate Shill

Vilack should be in jail.

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. What war crimes has he been convicted of?

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

18. Where did you get "war crimes" from? When one uses the phrase

"This guy should be in jail" it has nothing to do with conviction. As in "Klaus Von Bolow should be in jail" or "OJ Simpson should be in jail (before he was actually convicted)". As a matter of fact it's usually used when someone believes a person has gotten away with a crime. But I'm sure you knew that.

[Freddie Stubbs]

24. When outrageous, baseless accusations are being made, you might as well go all out

The people you have mentioned were formally charged with crimes. Has Secretary Viksack been charged with any crimes?

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

27. He has not. But neither have Dick Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld. But I forgot

you'd probably defend them both. And no,I'm not comparing the 3 of them. As far as Vilsack (not Viksack) I can't think of any crimes he's committed. Maybe the person who claimed it can elaborate further.

[Kingofalldems]

30. Excellent

[notesdev]

8. Just another criminal

fire him now! No more starvation for oil!

[forty6]

10. Drive, Baby Drive!!! Oh please!

We all know we should walk more, drive less, use bikes, car pool, take buses, trains, etc.

Keep those gas prices high, Drive, Baby, Drive!!!!!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

11. Vilsack doesn't know a damn thing !

[Javaman]

16. Oh he knows,

It's called getting a paycheck from monstanto when he suddenly "wants to spend more time with his family" next year. family = monstanto.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

29. I think you are onto something there....

[ElsewheresDaughter]

12. plants use as much as 120,000 BTUs to produce a gallon of ethanol that contains only 84,100 BTUs

and that doesn't take into account the energy used in growing the corn

[Javaman]

17. he's just positioning himself for a post sec of ag carreer with monstanto. nt

[IDemo]

21. Almost without a doubt

[lunasun]

23. GMO corn for all ! We can do it all!!.... until it kills nature and us

monsanto = evil
which if u dont know is what Vilasuck is promoting......
Join Millions against Monsanto

[apnu]

13. I know some commodity brokers and they dislike the changes ethanol has brought on the market.

They're getting by, mind you, and have adapted to this shift, but they didn't like it when it happened. Of course, they loathe any kind of change -- getting them to patch Windows is like pulling teeth.

[PoliticAverse]

14. End the ethanol scam. n/t

[Javaman]

15. Feeding ignorance to the population is no way to climb to the top.

oh wait.

[WatsonT]

19. What other country has put so much effort in to burning its food supply?

Madness.

[Scruffy1]

20. I'm plagiarizing that one.

Reminds me of an old Kurt Vonnegut story (I can't remember which one-maybe Sirens of Titan) where the planet ran out of time because they burned it all up.

[DeadEyeDyck]

22. rec

[QC]

25. Tom Ballsack represents everything that is wrong with politics in this country.

He is nothing more than a corporate lobbyist paid by the taxpayers.

[social_critic]

28. Let's start an anti ethanol protest

I'm for it. But you guys got to do your part. You really NEED to drive smaller more fuel efficient vehicles. You can't be cussing at the government if you don't do your part. Buy a small vehicle, with a manual transmission, six speed if you can. Keep your tires inflated. If you can afford it, get a hybrid. Don't buy an electric vehicle, they're a gimmick (the electricity is generated using coal).

[underpants]

26. $$$$$ for ADM

Archer Daniels Midland:
A Case Study In Corporate Welfare


1995

At least 43 percent of ADM's annual profits are from products heavily subsidized or protected by the American government. Moreover, every $1 of profits earned by ADM's corn sweetener operation costs consumers $10, and every $1 of profits earned by its ethanol operation costs taxpayers $30

http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-241.html

[A-4300SX]

32. As obvious as this may seem:

Someone once said:

"Those who burn their food, will surely starve."

Apparently we need to keep reminding ourselves of this...