Ag Energy Coalition Urges Senate Leaders to Defend Farm Bill Energy Programs - The Agriculture Energy Coalition (AgEC) yesterday sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) urging them to defend reauthorization and significant mandatory funding for Farm Bill Energy Title programs as passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee. Several amendments have been offered during Senate floor debate of the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012 (S.3240) that would undercut these critical programs.

Run the calculations.  Ethanol, other than a few percent to boost octane in gasoline, does virtually nothing to decrease CO2 emissions from motor vehicles.  Throw in the energy required to grow, harvest, and process the crops and the net effect is at best to have the same CO2 emissions.  Throw in the fact that these incentives encourage the farming of marginal lands that would otherwise be populated by trees and the benefits are definitely negative.

I could almost agree with such a program if the farmers benefitting were family farmers but the main beneficiaries are major corporate farmers.

Someone want to make ethanol or biofuels and are willing to invest their money in it, go ahead, but don't take money from taxpayers to give to some corporation with six and seven digit executive salaries to turn out just as much pollution as we already have.