Posted on: September 20, 2013 in E15, Jobs, Renewable Identification Numbers, Renewable Fuel Standard

Bob Dinneen submitted the following letter to the editor of the Marietta Daily Journal.

I am writing in response to Jay Ambrose’s article “Ethanol Push Makes Frighteningly Little Sense.”

I will tell you, Mr. Ambrose, ethanol makes a lot of sense, and here’s why. The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is the single most effective energy policy this country has ever seen. Need proof? It created more than 87,000 direct jobs while supporting an additional 295,000. It reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 40-50% compared to gasoline and decreased our dependence on foreign oil last year to 41% from an otherwise 48%. But most importantly, it saves you, and all drivers, money at the pump. In 2011, ethanol reduced gasoline by $1.09/gallon and saved families $1,200 in gasoline purchases.

But we can start at the beginning. In 2005 the Renewable Fuel Standard was created by a bipartisan Congress and updated in 2007. As a part of the RFS, Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) were created as a way to keep track of the amount of ethanol blended into gasoline. RINs are free. If you blend a gallon of ethanol, you get a RIN. It’s as simple as that. RINs can also be bought and sold as a back-up in case refiners fall short, but the cheaper and more economical solution is just to blend more ethanol.

You claim that solution isn’t feasible, but I strongly disagree. I see it happening right now. E10 is blended in 97% of all U.S. gasoline. Higher level blends such as E85 are available to flex fuel vehicles and E15 is just coming back on the market for vehicles 2001 and newer.

Your view on the program is terribly cynical and misguided, and your solution is all wrong. Natural gas and fracking are not the answer. We can’t frack our way to energy independence. But that is another story for another day.

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