The subsidies are not going away, they are going UP. The new Farm Bill is a giant compromise that is not going to be undone easily over the next 5 years until the next Farm Bill.

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4227#comment-370087

Finally, the bill (Farm Bill) increases the tax credit for cellulosic ethanol from $0.51 to $1.01 per gallon to jumpstart the industry and provides production incentives for advanced biofuels through the continuation of the bioenergy program

Not unless every senator and congressman that comes up for election this fall loses their seat because they backed the farm bill's provisions for ethanol subsidies.

The coalition against subsidizing ethanol is building pretty quickly --- cattlemen, pork, chicken farmers, food processors, anti poverty groups, you name it.

Interesting thought. However, it seems that American Voters support Increased Ethanol Blending by 59 - 30.

On the other hand, McCain's opposition to ethanol seems increasingly likely to cost him Iowa, Mn, Wi, and possibly Mo, thus sinking his Presidential ambitions.

Doesn't people on this site get it?

Corn ethanol derived from corn grown in the USA are an incredibly inefficient source of energy --- by the time you subtract the energy inputs required to make and distribute it (diesel fuel, fertilizer, pesticides, etc.) the net energy return on investment is marginally positive.

Brazilian ethanol from sugar cane, on the other hand, have a pretty good positive energy return on investment.

The only reason we bother with ethanol was, once upon a time, it was a good way to stitch up a political constituency with farmers faced with depressed prices for corn, and wacky arguments that it is "renewable".

A more recent argument in favor of it is that it is useful as a diluent in place of MMT, which got phased out because it contaminated water supplies. Diluents are used to lower the combustion temperature of, mostly summer gasoline, in order to reduce pollution.

Otherwise, the use of ethanol --- a low grade, corrosive fuel that attracts water --- is decidely bad for most gasoline engines.

Now, if we are in Brazil, it is a pretty good deal. But, in the USA, corn based ethanol is not even a very good renewable --- not when you use fossil fuels and inputs to make it.

Let's get rid of this pig.

"Let's" = Let us

Who, exactly, is "Us," D111?

The Brazil ethanol story IMO is all about the E100 which is not pure refined (90 or 95% I think) and requires a fraction of the energy to refine thus making it "economical".

Of coarse the auto fleet had to be retooled for this.$$$$$

Ethanol proponents love to cite Brazil but fail to compare apples to apples.

What about 90% refined corn ethanol and re-tool our auto fleet?

We do need to do a little research on hydrous ethanol, though.

You are making that up entirely. The vast majority of etanol consumed as fuel in Brazil is distilled just like in the US and blended with gasoline.

No E100 cars are manufactered in Brazil any more. It took me five seconds to look that up. Would have helped you to have tried to find facts to support your argument as you would have found out you were wrong and saved the post.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_in_Brazil

The above quoted study is a slick propaganda piece that is put out to scam politicians by the lobbyists who will reap billions of dollars from the subsidies they receive from Washington.