why the hell are we exporting biofuels to Europe?

[LSK]

European Union (EU) officials are lobbying Congress to close what they say is a tax loophole that allows U.S. biodiesel to be dumped in several European countries.

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB), however, is fighting hard to ensure the survival of a tax credit for firms that blend petroleum with fuels made from commodities such as soybeans and other crops to make biodiesel.

At issue are increased U.S. exports of biodiesel to Europe, which EU officials argue are displacing European crops that would otherwise be converted into biodiesel in European countries. EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson raised the issue with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab during his visit last week, according to an EU official.

One of Mandelson’s arguments is that the current policy cheats U.S. taxpayers, whom the EU argues are subsidizing biodiesel exports to Europe. EU officials say these subsidies do nothing to lower U.S. dependence on foreign oil — one of the initial justifications for providing the U.S. industry with tax credits — since the biodiesel is just sent to Europe.

http://thehill.com/business--lobby/eu-officials-face-off-with-u.s.-over-biodiesel-credit-2007-11-13.html

Is this how we are achieving energy independence? By exporting fuel that we actually make????

:wtf:

[Beerboy]

1. Is it cheaper to produce them in the States and ship it

vs. being produced domestically in the EU? Therein lies the answer...

[libodem]

2. So the big babies can stomp their feet any cry

The mean ol' environmentalists won't let us go up and spoil, Anwar, for corporate profits, so we'll make it as hard on as America as we can until everyone begs us to go drill Anwar...Wah fuckin' wah..kick, scream, stomp,

[On the Road]

3. Why Is This Strange?

Biolfuels are much more commonly used in Europe. Fuel prices are higher there. Agricultural products are much more cheaply produced in the US.

[LSK]

4. well it just seems to me that we should be moving to biofuels as much as we can

Do we produce more biofuels than we can consume? Shouldnt we be working to replace imported fuel with biofuels?

[On the Road]

5. If the Europeans are Buying Biofuel at $6.00 a Gallon

so they can sell it at $9.00, there are not going to be too many competitive bidders in the US. You would need either massive subsidies (probably wasteful), or export controls (which would not result in better use anyway).

The US has plenty of farmland, otherwise we wouldn't be paying farmers not to grow certain crops. The distribution and demand side are the issue, as well as prices relative to gasoline.

[charlie]

6. If they sell fuel to overseas markets

then they should have to kick back federal subsidies they've received from their profits. It makes little sense to let them do that when the biofuel bonanza is driving up our food prices.

[On the Road]

8. I Would Agree with That

Agricultural subsidies should not be permanent anyway IMO. It's a concession that there is too much land under cultivation.

[wuushew]

7. Just be glad any country is buying anything American

otherwise the once vaunted dollar will forever be in the toilet.

[Beerboy]

9. Why should U.S. workers get on their knees to beg people buy our stuff?

Without being too specific, our company lost millions trying to outsource what we do to Fascist China. They barely recovered keeping the company in the family by moving it back to Minnesota, where union workers are producing the highest quality products of it's type, on time, to a hungry world market.
We're the best @ what we do, the rest of the world can't compete.