Its come to our attention that a separate veterans group purporting to advocate for less reliance on foreign energy has emailed its supporters urging support for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
Theres only one problem: The RFS does not lead to less reliance on foreign oil.
The best way to decrease reliance on foreign sources is to access more of the resources we have right here in North America.
What the RFS does do: It increases the demand - and therefore price - for corn which is used to make ethanol. The RFS requires more and more ethanol to be blended into our fuel and it is now reaching a point to adhere to the requirement will exceed the blend wall - meaning that most fuels in the US will start to contain more than 10 ethanol.
This could damage engines. Automobile engines and fuel systems small engines like motorcycles and boats lawn mowers and more.
Even the engines used by our military.
If we want to depend less on foreign oil we should access the rich stores of oil we have by removing the restriction on offshore and federal access. Increasing the demand for corn will do little but damage engines raise the price of food and harm the environment as more corn crops replace our prairies and wetlands. And for me a West Virginia farmer those decreasing prairies and increasing use of pesticides are killing off 50 of our honey bee population that we need to pollinate our orchards.
So dont be fooled by the rhetoric of this other veterans group. The RFS is nothing but a political football for corn growers.
The best way to achieve energy independence is to invest in common sense alternative energy resources - while allowing us to responsibly develop the oil and gas resources that exist beneath our feet and off our shores.
Captain James McCormick USA (ret.)
Program Director Vets4Energy
Its come to our attention that a separate veterans group purporting to advocate for less reliance on foreign energy has emailed its supporters urging support for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
Theres only one problem: The RFS does not lead to less reliance on foreign oil.
The best way to decrease reliance on foreign sources is to access more of the resources we have right here in North America.
What the RFS does do: It increases the demand - and therefore price - for corn which is used to make ethanol. The RFS requires more and more ethanol to be blended into our fuel and it is now reaching a point to adhere to the requirement will exceed the blend wall - meaning that most fuels in the US will start to contain more than 10 ethanol.
This could damage engines. Automobile engines and fuel systems small engines like motorcycles and boats lawn mowers and more.
Even the engines used by our military.
If we want to depend less on foreign oil we should access the rich stores of oil we have by removing the restriction on offshore and federal access. Increasing the demand for corn will do little but damage engines raise the price of food and harm the environment as more corn crops replace our prairies and wetlands. And for me a West Virginia farmer those decreasing prairies and increasing use of pesticides are killing off 50 of our honey bee population that we need to pollinate our orchards.
So dont be fooled by the rhetoric of this other veterans group. The RFS is nothing but a political football for corn growers.
The best way to achieve energy independence is to invest in common sense alternative energy resources - while allowing us to responsibly develop the oil and gas resources that exist beneath our feet and off our shores.
Captain James McCormick USA (ret.)
Program Director Vets4Energy
