xcel
05-04-2006, 10:33 PM
Administration hoping to alleviate supply crunch ahead of driving season. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12634911)
Associated Press - May 4, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Chicago_Ethanol.jpg
WASHINGTON - The Bush Administration is considering lifting import tariffs on ethanol in a bid to alleviate any supply crunch of gasoline ahead of the peak summer demand driving season, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said Thursday.
"It's something the administration has considered and will continue to consider," Bodman told reporters, after a meeting with his counterparts from Canada and Mexico.
He conceded, however, that the power to actually lift the tariffs is out of the administration's hands. That authority lies with Congress, where any proposed policy changes to the ethanol import tariff scheme could face a huge challenge from key Republican leaders from farm states, particularly Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa., who have strongly opposed lifting the 54 cents a gallon tariff on ethanol imports from countries such as Brazil.
Taking action is largely a Congressional matter, Bodman said, although he noted that President George W. Bush wants lawmakers to seriously consider legislative proposals that would improve the ethanol supply outlook.
"The president has encouraged Congress to examine all options for increasing available supplies of ethanol," he said, adding that he "will continue to do that."
Kevin Book, a senior analyst at Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co., Inc., said it would be hard for lawmakers to support repealing a tariff that was established in the name of energy security.
Associated Press - May 4, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Chicago_Ethanol.jpg
WASHINGTON - The Bush Administration is considering lifting import tariffs on ethanol in a bid to alleviate any supply crunch of gasoline ahead of the peak summer demand driving season, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said Thursday.
"It's something the administration has considered and will continue to consider," Bodman told reporters, after a meeting with his counterparts from Canada and Mexico.
He conceded, however, that the power to actually lift the tariffs is out of the administration's hands. That authority lies with Congress, where any proposed policy changes to the ethanol import tariff scheme could face a huge challenge from key Republican leaders from farm states, particularly Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa., who have strongly opposed lifting the 54 cents a gallon tariff on ethanol imports from countries such as Brazil.
Taking action is largely a Congressional matter, Bodman said, although he noted that President George W. Bush wants lawmakers to seriously consider legislative proposals that would improve the ethanol supply outlook.
"The president has encouraged Congress to examine all options for increasing available supplies of ethanol," he said, adding that he "will continue to do that."
Kevin Book, a senior analyst at Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co., Inc., said it would be hard for lawmakers to support repealing a tariff that was established in the name of energy security.