January marked the first month that the ethanol industry had to stand on its own feet was only supported by a massive taxpayer mandate for their product, rather than tax preferences, tariff protections, and a mandate.
Do not fret, as sales for E10 (10% ethanol 90% gasoline, commonly purchased at the pump) will hold remarkably steady, because this is the primary venue the rent-seekers use to dilute our nations gasoline supply with ethanol. I only slightly kid, as it makes sense to blend small percentages of ethanol into our fuel supply, though not in amounts exceeding 10 percent.
However, in the United States there are also niche markets for E-85, which is made up of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. E85 sales more accurately reflect what an actual competitor to gasoline would look like, as E10 blends only supplement regular fuel production. While there are a number of flex-fuel vehicles on the road (FFVs) capable of running on any blend of ethanol and gasoline, E85 sales have never taken off in the United States. This is because, after adjusting for the lower energy content in ethanol, it costs more money per mile traveled to fuel your vehicle with E85 than E10. It has always been this way and its unclear if it will ever change.
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Just a few days after our previous post outlining the ethanol industry’s brave, unprecedented, legendary, and 100% voluntary decision to give up the ethanol tax credit, we see that there are still other subsidies that they are interested in keeping:
But the head of the Renewable Fuels Association—Bob Dinneen—says the industry will work to ensure that tax credits for cellulosic ethanol will continue past the end of 2012.
“We think that the production tax credit and the depreciation that is now allowed for cellulose needs to continue,” Dinneen says.
Extension of the cellulosic tax credits will send an important signal to the marketplace and encourage investment in the next generation of ethanol technology, Dinneen says.
And to those who consider it just another federal subsidy for ethanol…
“They need only look at the tax incentive for grain-based ethanol that has just expired–that demonstrates you don’t need a tax incentive forever,” Dinneen says.
“You need to encourage investment—convince the marketplace that there is going to be consistent government support that will allow the industry to get on its feet.”
Cellulosic ethanol has not yet been produced commercially, but according to the U.S. Department of Energy web site, several commercial cellulosic plants are under construction.
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With the current partisan fighting over oil subsidies (and energy policy more generally), its worthwhile to look at energy legislation that has found bipartisan support: the New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act of 2011 (the NAT GAS Act, often called the Boone Pickens bill). It currently has 180 cosponsors, split roughly even between Republicans and Democrats. Joe Nocera likes it.
True fiscal/small government conservatives understand the danger of using the tax code to steer the economy. It has brought us ethanol, subsidized home ownership for the wealthy, etc. Populist conservatives-in-name-only don’t actually care about applying consistent principles, or often let their concern be overshadowed by campaign donations.
Which is why I was surprised to see Representative Ron Paul, principled libertarian/free-market extraordinaire, as a cosponsor. I spoke to someone in Ron Paul’s office, and they explained (roughly) that support for tax credits (i.e., industries paying less in income tax relative to the status quo) is consistent with Ron Paul’s support for lower taxes.
This YouTube clip seems to explain Paul’s position (he was asked about a bill to end tax credits for the oil industry):
PAUL: Well, how do you define a subsidy? I don’t consider any tax break as a subsidy. That was not a spending bill, that was not a grant.
…
I never vote to increase any taxes. I vote to always give tax credits, and I always cut spending. I’ve never voted for a real spending bill, so, I don’t think that is in the category of something I’d consider a spending bill.
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Via Steven Mufson at The Washington Post.
Black liquor is a by-product of paper production and much of it is burned in house at the paper mills to produce energy. Note that these companies need no incentive to do this as they already have been doing it on their own for quite a long time as its an efficient way for them to produce their own energy. This was an issue in the past, which Congress had theoretically fixed, but as the article notes:
Eager to limit the cost to the Treasury — more than $4 billion by the end of fiscal year 2009 — Congress said that black liquor would not qualify for the alternative fuel tax credits after Dec. 31, 2009. And to help cover the cost of the January 2010 health-care law, Congress also barred black liquor from qualifying for the cellulosic biofuel tax credit.
But the story didn’t end there.
Last year, the IRS said that the provision in the 2010 health-care legislation didn’t prevent black liquor produced in 2009 from qualifying as a cellulosic biofuel, so the paper industry got its calculators out again. The cellulosic biofuel tax credit, part of the 2008 farm bill, is worth $1.01 a gallon.
I can understand how this might happen initially. Laws are written vaguely and companies take advantage of a law not intended to benefit them. This is frustrating in and of itself, but given the complexity of our tax code its bound to happen sometimes. However, the fact that our laws are so complicated that Congress tried, and failed, to fix this loophole is beyond belief.
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There is an ongoing ethanol spat between Senator Coburn (R-OK) and Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform. The dispute is over conservative support for a bill that would repeal the ethanol tax credit, which has the effect of raising an industry specific tax. Americans for Tax Reform comes down hard on any effort to increase taxes. The Wall Street Journal added their two cents in favor of Senator Coburn:
Our readers know Mr. Norquist as the plucky author of the no-new-taxes pledge, which has helped to make tax increases a red line in Republican politics. In a letter to Mr. Coburn, a deputy of Mr. Norquist writes: “Repealing the ethanol credit is the right thing to do, but other taxes must be reduced in the same legislation by at least this much to prevent a net tax increase.”
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