The Kruse Report: Breaking Oil Addiction

According to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report, the average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline in Indiana now costs $2.96 and May prices topped out at $3.49. In 2006, oil company profits totaled $124.9 billion, up from $34.2 billion in 2002. Domestically produced ethanol reduces America's dependence upon foreign sources of energy. That’s an addiction worth breaking. The United States accounts for five percent of the earth’s population, but we consume nearly a quarter of the world’s oil.

A step in breaking the addiction is by using E85 in flex fuel vehicles. Flex fuel vehicles can use E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petroleum-based fuel, or petroleum-based gasoline found at any fueling station.

High gas prices are a result of the lack of investment in new fuel technology in past years. Investments in energy and conservation peaked during the oil crisis of the 1970s, and then our investments dropped along with the price of oil. Escalating oil prices, climate change, importing oil from our enemies, and energy security concerns pushed the need for biofuels to the forefront.

Indiana legislators recently passed Senate Bill 250 to strengthen the state’s corn checkoff program, which has been in existence since 2001. Beginning July 1, Indiana farmers will contribute ½ cent per bushel of corn at the first point of sale. In the past, farmers voluntarily contributed to the corn checkoff program but now the payment will be automatic, and farmers will have the right to collect a refund should they choose not to participate for part or all of their checkoff. The previous corn checkoff program raised only $46,000 per year, while the new program is expected to bring $3 million annually, according the Corn Growers Association.

The funds will support corn research and promotion. Educating Hoosiers on the basics of Ethanol is only half the battle. To create convenience and availability a portion of the corn checkoff monies will go toward increasing the number of E85 pumps in Indiana.

The production and use of ethanol benefits our economy on all levels - local, state, and national. From the local communities where the crops are grown and processed to the metropolitan areas where drivers fill up with a domestically produced fuel, American-made ethanol propels the economy.

On the national level, the U.S. Senate passed an energy bill that focuses on new energy sources and conservation in an effort to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil. Some of the bill's provisions, were initiated by Indiana Senator Dick Lugar, include requirements for greater use of ethanol mixed with petroleum fuels and incentives for flexible fuel cars. Indiana has four ethanol plants in production in South Bend, Washington, Clymers and Rensselaer according to the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. More are in the planning stages.

Ethanol blends are likely to reduce carbon monoxide emissions in vehicles by between 10 and 30 percent depending upon the combustion technology, according the Environmental Protection Agency. The American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago credits ethanol-blended fuel with reducing smog-forming emissions by 25 percent since 1990.

Although biofuels alone cannot relieve America’s thirst for gasoline we can certainly reduce the demand. I applaud and support E85 production and I am excited that Indiana is paving the way to a more self-sufficient America. I hope I have opened your mind to alternative fuels and stressed the importance of breaking the oil addiction. To find out whether or not your vehicle can use E85 visit the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition web site at www.e85fuel.com. What do you think about using alternative fuels?