AFF: Indy Racing Turns Its Back on U.S. Energy

[Heeltoe]

Hadn't seen a meltdown in gomernation over this yet, but I could've just missed it. Given the reaction to the orange juice in 93, more fulfillment of the vision

AFF: Indy Racing Turns Its Back on U.S. Energy


American Future Fund's latest radio ad continues its commitment for U.S.
energy independence

DES MOINES, Iowa, Nov. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- American Future Fund (AFF)
today launched "Race," a radio ad which urges Hoosiers to call the Indy
Racing League (IRL) and tell them to continue using American ethanol in its
race cars.

The ad can be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/americanfuturefund.

In a multi-year deal announced on Nov. 18, the IRL named APEX-Brasil as
the official ethanol supplier for the IndyCar Series. As a result, the Indy
500, an American institution, could be powered with foreign fuel.

"It's amazing that amid all the progress we have made toward energy
independence, the IRL decides to set us back," said AFF Communications
Director Tim Albrecht. "It's mind-boggling as to why the league would take
this action in an economic downturn. This is a slap in the face to American
farmers and workers."

Currently, there are more than 180 ethanol producers in the United
States. The IRL's decision blocks them from pumping an American-made
product into their cars, and opts for foreign competitors to control a
monopoly on the market.

American Future Fund has long called for measures that lead the United
States to energy independence with its "America First Energy Agenda." Found
http://energy.americanfuturefund.com, the agenda strongly supports the use
of homegrown renewable fuels.

"Our hope is that local citizens will stick up for what's right, and
demand the IRL rescind its deal with Brazil," continued Albrecht. "This is
a matter of energy independence and keeping our jobs here at home. The IRL
may turn its back on the people of Indiana and the Midwest, but AFF will
steadfastly stand with America's energy producers."


The script of the ad is as follows:

ANNCR:

It's the greatest race in sports.

The Indy 500.

There's nothing more American ... a race powered by American ethanol.

But now the great race could be powered by foreign fuel?
The Indy Racing League just made a deal with a Brazilian ethanol
producer, making it the official ethanol supplier for the Indy Car Series.

Unbelievably, the Brickyard will be fueled by foreign energy.

Indy cars will no longer be powered by corn grown in Indiana and
throughout the Midwest.

Indiana workers and farmers are fighting to stay afloat during economic
crisis.

Renewable energy jobs are critical to our local economies. And ethanol
produced here helps make America more energy independent.

But the IRL is turning its back on Indiana farmers and workers -- and
choosing foreign energy over clean, renewable, homegrown fuels.


Call the IRL: 317-492-6526. Tell it to stick with American ethanol.

Paid for by American Future Fund

[Napoleon]

So they want us to call the IRL and complain because they don't want to pay as much for their sponsorship package with the IRL as the IRL is asking for?

I think if I am going to start calling people and complaining about something going on in this world I can think of about a million other things that would be higher on my list.

[shaggy_socal]

If the American Ethanol growers cared that much about ensuring American Ethanol fueled the IndyCars, they should have given them a better deal than the Brazilions.

I haven't followed the issue closely, but from a "Green" perspective isn't the sugar based ethanol easier to make and more environmentaly friendly to grow?

[Chaos]

I find this reaction hilarious.

To be honest, I don't think the IRL did anything wrong here.

The IRL doesn't give a "poo" about ethanol per se, they care about sponsors and keeping expenses down, and if that means using Brazilian ethanol, then by all means. They don't really really care about sustainable energy blah blah blah. Ethanol just happened to write the biggest cheque a few years ago.

What I am REALLY laughing at is all the people screaming about sustainable ethanol, but what they're REALLY screaming about is THEIR sustainable ethanol (from the corn lobby).

Ethanol is ethanol, so those supporting ethanol should be fine with it. But they're mad.... really mad, which screams of the corn people not getting lots of money for their corn to make ethanol.

Another thing that got me laughing was their self-righteousness about using corn to have a renewal energy source for the USA in order to be free of those evil foreign energy suppliers. Talk about ignorant (deliberate?) bull"poo". Energy is a worldwide market. It'd be utterly impossible, especially in a market such as the United States, to isolate the sale/production/consumption of energy to within the country (for all intents and purposes, nationalizing energy).

[Napoleon]

I haven't followed the issue closely, but from a "Green" perspective isn't the sugar based ethanol easier to make and more environmentaly friendly to grow?

Yes, by a significant margin. In fact the American corn based ethanol program has been called, in essence, a scam (I think around 9 months ago Time even ran a story calling it that). It would take something like 132 years of running the corn ethanol program for the environmental impact of it to be favorable whereas the Brazilian program is green right from the start.

[Don Quixote]

IRL did nothing wrong here. It's funny, however, that they still have managed to offend yet another segment of the population. Who's left? :rofl:

[cameraman]

IRL did nothing wrong here.

Maybe so but the response was entirely predictable.

[miatanut]

I haven't followed the issue closely, but from a "Green" perspective isn't the sugar based ethanol easier to make and more environmentaly friendly to grow?

Yes, as Napoleon has noted.

National Geog. ran an interesting boifuels article a couple years back showing sugar cane way ahead of corn for carbon reduction, and since sugar cane will grow in the southeast, since then I've been scratching my head about why we don't do that. A crop that will grow on marginal land with a lot less fuss than corn, and the Brazilions :rofl: burn the chaff to fuel the plant.

[chop456]

IRL did nothing wrong here. It's funny, however, that they still have managed to offend yet another segment of the population. Who's left? :rofl:

Only the dumbest.

[cameraman]

A crop that will grow on marginal land with a lot less fuss than cornActually cane is very hard on the soil and it only grows on marginal land if you fertilize the hell out of it. It is one of the worst crops for environmental damage from fertilizer & pesticide contaminated run off.

There is much research being done to try to make cane farming less damaging. Like this (http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/projects/projects.htm?accn_no=412816) for example.

[Methanolandbrats]

Actually cane is very hard on the soil and it only grows on marginal land if you fertilize the hell out of it. It is one of the worst crops for environmental damage from fertilizer & pesticide contaminated run off.

Most of the cotton belt is perfect then :gomer:

[indyfan31]

Actually cane is very hard on the soil and it only grows on marginal land if you fertilize the hell out of it. It is one of the worst crops for environmental damage from fertilizer & pesticide contaminated run off.

... not to mention the huge amounts of water it needs.

[pchall]

... not to mention the huge amounts of water it needs.

Something like four times the water necessary to grow the equivalent biomass from sugar beets. Biobutanol can be produced from beet sugar as well as from ag byproducts like straw and cornstalks.

[miatanut]

Sounds like ethanol is something that should be put aside until it can be economically made from switchgrass and agricultural waste.

[Indy]

The funny thing is that there are probably 1,000 times the number of people who care enough to protest this than there are IRL fans.

[SurfaceUnits]

The funny thing is that there are probably 1,000 times the number of people who care enough to protest this than there are IRL fans.accourse you don't know the strength of downforce nation

[eiregosod]

one cornhole criticising another cornhole, WGAF!

[porscheman]

I suppose the American Ethanol industry expected the IRL to continue to promote it's product for free? I don't blame the IRL on this one but the optics suck.

Porscheman

[nrc]

The whole ethanol thing was stupid from the outset.

[SurfaceUnits]

I suppose the American Ethanol industry expected the IRL to continue to promote it's product for free? I don't blame the IRL on this one but the optics suck.

Porscheman
when did Tony George ever promote anything but sucking. US ethanol industry 40 bankruptcies since signing up with firl

having fun yet? what's the current flave of koolaid? firl could do everyone a fav and just shut down

[SurfaceUnits]

Brazilian ethanol industry since signing with Tony George:

With lower gasoline prices, ethanol uncompetitive

Ironically the IRL signed a deal with a Brazil ethanol producing, and in the process stabbed the USA ethanol industry in the back. Now comes word that Brazil's biofuel industry, that just months ago was being flooded with billions in new investments for vast new sugarcane plantations and gleaming distilleries that churn out the cheapest ethanol on earth, is in trouble.

The global financial crisis has put the brakes on that boom, drying up foreign investment and domestic credit, stalling new projects and prompting cash-strapped ethanol producers to indefinitely postpone expansions. In addition, now that gasoline prices have plummeted, who wants or needs more expensive ethanol that produces horrible fuel mileage?

With oil below $50 per barrel, down more than 60 percent since July, biofuels have become less competitive. But U.S.-made corn ethanol is more expensive than Brazil's sugarcane-based fuel: Oil must top $50 a barrel for it to be cheaper than gasoline. In contrast, Brazilian ethanol companies insist, their fuel is competitive as long as oil sells for more than $40 a barrel. Not when you factor in the lower fuel mileage it isn't.

"I'm still ready to play ball, but the ball disappeared," said former Brazilian Agriculture Minister Robert Rodrigues, whose plans for an ethanol startup were recently put on hold as foreign investors withdrew cash amid fears that a global recession would slow demand for fuel.

One large ethanol maker filed for bankruptcy last week to restructure $100 million in debt it could not pay. Analysts and sugarcane growers predict others will follow, and a leading industry association says 50 percent of new equipment orders have been canceled or postponed.

"We're going to see more bankruptcies," said Eduardo Carvalho, director of the ethanol and sugar unit of conglomerate Odebrecht SA, one of Brazil's biggest companies.

irl's new motto: sign up with Tony George and go bankrupt

[Don Quixote]

They say bad press is better than no press at all. :D