Ethanol is the ultimate scam. It is not an efficient fuel, there is debate on its impact on the environment, and it obviously impacts the world's food supply as an efficient corn crop is turned into an inefficient fuel. To add insult to injury, the United States taxpayers subsidize every gallon of ethanol produced at the rate of 45 cents on the gallon. That subsidy was getting ready to end, but U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) happily announced that the GOP's agreement with Obama includes a 2011 subsidy of ethanol, and if there is any good news this, which there really isn't, it's been reduced by nine cents a gallon to 36 cents.
As well biodiesel, which subsidy lapsed, will once again receive its $1 per gallon subsidy, and if that isn't bad enough, they are going to make the extension of the subsidy retroactive. In other words, they are going to take your tax dollars and pay for the period of the lapse as well.
This is Republicans supporting this. Instead of drill baby drill, we are going to continue down this path of paying billions of dollars for inefficient green energy, and Republicans are pushing this along with Obama and the Democrats.
There were 17 Senators who wrote letters to Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell opposing the subsidies.