Government investigating if Big Oil thwarting biodiesel
This week, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and the state's two U.S. senators, Richard Durbin and Barack Obama,
sent letters to the heads of the six major oil companies as part of an investigation to see if they have any policies
that are inhibiting construction and operation of biodiesel and ethanol pumps at fuel service stations. The state is
the biggest user of ethanol and the country's second largest producer of the alternative fuel. However, only three of
the 108 service stations selling E-85 (gasoline mixed with 85 percent ethanol), are franchises branded by the oil
companies. Also, U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman has indicated he will speaks with the oil companies, though he plans to discuss their policies on promoting alternative fuels. The oil companies in question? BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, Shell Oil Co., and Valero Energy.
[Source: Reuters]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Corey W. 12:38PM (4/08/2006)
Government trying to tell the oil companies what to do.. Investigating to criticize and investigating to actually construct legislation to correct are two different things. Don't look to seeing the latter anytime soon...
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Andrew 6:33PM (4/08/2006)
E85 gets huge advantage at expense of taxpayers, and still costs significantly more per mile, largely because mileage is ~30% worse.
Now government is complaining people can't buy enough of it? This reminds me of California and "EV's" (Electric Vehicles). For years automakers said nobody wanted them, but government insisted they be built.
E85 is even less competitive now because the prices has spiked so high than even massive taxpaye payments make it more per gallon, even before the much worse mileage is considered.
Why don't they investigate why huge tariffs keep Brazilian ethanol out of the US?
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Patrick Joseph McKenzie 8:25PM (4/09/2006)
What does anyone expect? The heads of Big Oil sit there and lie to congress about having not participated directly in Cheney's so-called energy task force meetings http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/15/AR2005111501842.html and nobody does anything about. Was it because pshycotic Senator Stevens, Republican-Alaska (earmarked bridge to nowhere Stevens) refused to let them be sworn? http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/columnists/rhonda_chriss_lokeman/13213123.htm
I said time and time again in year 2004, they were keeping gas prices artificially low in order to ensure Bush got re-elected and congress stayed Republican. I also said if re-elected; Katy bar the door, they'll jack prices up with no consequences.
Yet, the brainwashed who listen to Doper Rush, Sean Insanity, Bill O'Perveilley, Blathering Savage or watch Faux News all day insist because their 401k's are now back to where they were when Bush took over; all is fine.
Wake up America; you Bush supporters would easily fit into some religous cult they way you are easily brainwashed.
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Patrick Joseph McKenzie 8:28PM (4/09/2006)
Oh and by the way; if you don't think the big three Auto Makers aren't taking payoffs from big oil not to honor the warranties on vehicles using bio-diesel, I have a bridge in San Francisco I'll sell you.
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