3rd Burlington High School
Burlington, Kansas
Teacher: Mrs. Devra Parker
3rd
Fueling For the Future
By Josh Lingenfelter
12th Grade
In a perfect world, we could all pull up to the pump and fill our tanks on just a couple of dollars worth of gas. Farmers could work in the fields throughout the week, with a great market for crops and affordable fuel running through their tractors. It is not, however, a perfect world. Prices at the pump in America are sky high and US relations with some of the major Middle Eastern oil-producing countries are as low as ever. Many markets for crops grown in the US have fallen dramatically from past years, and diesel fuel prices have reached all-time highs. The US needs to find an alternative route to fuel production, and ethanol is a method that could help rural America extensively in addition to easing gas prices for the nation as a whole.
The bipartisan United States Senate Energy Bill contains several key requirements to boost oil production, increase fossil fuel preservation, expand fuel reserves and make use of new technologies. One of the provisions mentioned in the bill is an authorization on increasing the production of ethanol. This mandate will require fuel refiners to use 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol in gasoline by the year 2012. If this move goes into effect, by 2012 American oil consumption would be reduced by approximately 80,000 barrels per day according to the Energy Information Administration.
Producing a greater amount of ethanol is a great solution to the problem that America has with spending billions of dollars every year on foreign oil. The American Farm Bureau estimates that through the provisions put in place by the bipartisan energy bill, crude oil imports would be reduced by nearly two billion barrels. This alone would keep 64 billions dollars inside of the United States that would have gone to foreign oil producers. Overall gains from producing a larger volume of ethanol and bio diesel are predicted to add around 200 billion dollars to the US gross domestic product (GDP) between the years 2005 and 2012.
For the American citizens, there are numerous parts of the bill that could help them both socially and economically. With all of the ethanol being produced in the upcoming years, there will need to be many new refineries created to keep up with the quota. There is an estimated six billion dollars that will be created in new investments through renewable fuel production facilities. This will create the possibility of over 200,000 occupations thrown into the job market. After that, many employment opportunities will be opened up, and unemployment rates should decline steadily. In addition to reduced unemployment figures and more revenue being created, total US household income is expected to rise by 43 billions dollars.
Possibly the greatest industry to be affected by the 2005 Bipartisan Energy Bill is the agriculture industry. To produce 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol and bio diesel by 2012, 70 billion dollars worth of goods and services would be required. A great majority of that figure would come from labor on farms and money produced by the purchasing of grains and crop residue from farming operations to be used in the manufacture of ethanol and/or bio diesel. With a greater demand for the grains for making fuel, the economic structure within the business of agriculture would be greatly enhanced. Grain prices have been struggling over the last few years, with some bids reaching near all-time lows. With the greater demand created by the ethanol initiative, the low grain markets could have the capability of skyrocketing to their highest prices in years.
Another appealing facet of the ethanol bill is, of course, lower prices at the pump. Americans have been yearning for lowered fuel costs in recent years, and the plan to implement more ethanol with regular gasoline has the potential to drastically reduce those prices. It will, however, take time to get these prices lowered. According to Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman, many problems exist in the gasoline market, mainly coming from inadequate infrastructure of the markets and low refining capacity. These difficulties present a challenge to lowering prices immediately and will most definitely take some time to sort out.
The possibility of using bio diesel has been an intriguing prospect to many farm operations, construction companies, and other businesses that use large quantities of diesel fuel. Bio diesel is produced from mainly vegetable oils and animal fats, which makes it fairly cheaper to produce than regular petroleum-based diesel fuels. Also, when burned in diesel engines, bio diesel has significantly fewer emissions than does traditional diesel fuel.
The ethanol provisions in the 2005 Bipartisan Energy Bill contain many beneficial ideas for reducing dependence on foreign oil. Along with the boosting of America’s oil production, these requirements will aid in bolstering the economy. There are numerous ideas to help improve the United States’ current energy situation, and this is a great plan to be implemented in the near future.
Questions
Based
on
Required
Reading
Q1- Gasohol is a byproduct exclusively from _________ and _________ whereas cellulosic ethanol can be produced from agricultural waste such as ___________, ___________ and ____________.
Gasohol is a byproduct exclusively from corn and sugar cane where as cellulosic ethanol can be produced from agricultural waste such as prairie switch grass, wood chips, and corn husks.
Q2- Why did auto makers produce cars that could operate using ethanol as well as gasoline before there was an adequate number of service stations that could provide ethanol?
Auto makers produced cars that can run on both gasoline as well as ethanol so the people will start seeing that this is a nation-wide issue, not just a concern of the Midwest. Another reason for this is to broaden the production and research of ethanol.
Q3- When were the first cars produced that were capable of using ethanol?
Brazil was the first to accomplish the act of creating a car that would run on ethanol. This took place in 1979.
Q4- In a paragraph, describe Brazil’s experience with ethanol. What did the Fortune article claim was Brazil’s key to success?
Brazil’s ethanol industry has flourished, mainly due to great sugar cane crops and vast availability at gas stations. The ethanol is produced nearly everywhere in the country, so there is not much shipping that needs to be done. Since the ethanol is produced in the country, billions of dollars are saved on imported oils. Giving people the choice of buying ethanol and not forcing them to buy it is considered to be Brazil’s key to the success it has had with ethanol.
Q5- What is the significance of a yellow gas cap?
The yellow gas cap will be placed on vehicles that are made E85 ready. Therefore once all gas stations around the world are caring E85, people will not place it in their vehicles unless they have the yellow cap. Caps will be sent to vehicles that are E85 ready before this act took place.
Q6- Describe bio-diesel.
Biodiesel is a diesel-equivalent fuel that is made through biological means and can be used as a replacement for diesel fuel. It is mainly produced from vegetable oils or animal fats. This version of diesel fuel has significantly fewer emissions that petroleum based diesel fuel.
Q7- Explain the term “flex-fuel engine”. What American auto manufacturer introduced the first prototype of a flex-fuel engine?
Flex fuel engines are engines that have the capability of having either ethanol or gasoline run through them. Ford Motor Company was the first American industry to introduce the flex fuel engine.
Q8- Trace the progress of H.R. 6 for viewers to our web site. (dates introduced, amended, pass or rejected) http://www.eei.org/industry_issues/electricity_policy/federal_legislation/index.htm
· April 18, 2005 – Bill Introduced into Senate
· May 5, 2005 – Amended
· August 8, 2005 – Bill passed
Q9- What is the purpose of the fuel hybrid vehicle commercialization initiative?
The purpose of this program is intended to reduce petroleum consumption by brining new clean technologies to the market faster.
Q10- What is the nation's largest renewable energy resource?
The world’s largest renewable energy resource is hydroelectric dams.
Q11- What is the purpose of the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative?
The purpose of this was to develop the technology to produce, store, and distribute hydrogen for the use in fuel-cell vehicles.
Q12- List seven items mentioned in the 2005 energy tax bill that taxpayers can claim as credits against their tax bills.
· Buying fuel efficient hybrid-electric vehicles
http://www.epa.gov/oms/consumer/fuels/altfuels/altfuels.htm
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/altfuel/altfuels.html
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/energy/ALTFUEL.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_fuel