Bismarck Farm and Ranch Guide
11-09-07
Polls show three-fourths of Americans want increased renewable fuel use
By DALE HILDEBRANT, Farm & Ranch Guide
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Americans generally agree - they want to see renewable
fuels used more in this country and that more renewable fuels need to be
produced. In addition, the poll found that only a small percentage of Americans
blame ethanol production for higher food prices.
These were the findings of a national poll that was conducted by the Renewable
Fuels Now Coalition, the results of which were made public on Oct. 30 in
Washington, D.C.
According to the poll numbers, 74 percent of Americans believe we should
increase our use of domestically produced renewable fuels like ethanol. In
addition, 87 percent say the federal government should actively support the
development of a renewable fuels industry in this country, and 77 percent think
Congress should encourage oil refiners to blend more ethanol into their gasoline
products.
“By overwhelming margins, Americans want renewable fuels like ethanol to play
a larger role in our nation's energy future,” said Renewable Fuels Association
president Bob Dinneen. “The consequences of continuing our dependence on
foreign oil are unacceptable. Renewable fuels like ethanol offer our nation an
opportunity to go in a new, more sustainable energy direction.”
Additional findings from the recently conducted survey include:
- Seventy-eight percent feel that increasing domestic ethanol production will help
create new jobs and improve the economy in rural America.
- Fifty-eight percent believe more use of domestically produced ethanol will help
reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
- Three-quarters of Americans view ethanol as somewhat important in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions, with 41 percent viewing ethanol as extremely
important in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Poll results also indicated Americans aren't blaming ethanol for the increasing
food costs. The poll found 84 percent of Americans believe something other than
ethanol is the underlying cause of rising food prices.
Poll respondents indicated such things as higher oil prices (46 percent),
increased global demand (15 percent) and adverse weather conditions such as
drought and floods (14 percent) were thought to have a greater impact on food
prices than ethanol production. Only seven percent of those taking part in the poll
cited ethanol production as the top reason.
Recently, ethanol critics have sought to pin the blame for rising food prices on
the growth of the domestic U.S. ethanol industry, the Renewable Fuels Now
Coalition claimed, but the results of this poll show the public isn't buying that
argument.
“Despite the smoke and mirrors campaign to scapegoat ethanol production for
raising food prices, Americans fully understand the real reasons they are being
squeezed in the aisles,” Dinneen said. “Skyrocketing oil prices, increasing global
demand and drought have a much greater impact on the price Americans are
being forced to pay in the grocery aisle than increasing ethanol production.
“Considering that 81 percent of every food dollar spent pays for the processing,
packaging, transporting and marketing of food items, it's painfully clear these
energy-intensive activities are the root cause of higher food prices,” he added.
Further downplaying renewable fuels role in climbing food prices, Bruce
Babcock, director of the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development at
Iowa State University, recently was a guest on Diane Rehm's National Public
Radio program.
After explaining that crude oil prices are up about 60 percent over the past two
years and gasoline prices have jumped 50 percent during that same time frame,
he said, “If you actually increase energy prices by 50 or 60 percent, that's going
to have a bigger impact on the price of food than higher commodity prices.”
Summarizing the results of the poll, Dinneen said, “These poll numbers make it
clear that the American public understands the benefits of renewable fuels like
ethanol and believes the federal government has a role to play in developing a
robust renewable fuels industry in this country.
“By passing an energy bill complete with an expansion and acceleration of the
Renewable Fuels Standard, Congress would mirror the desire of the American
public to move away from our growing dependence on foreign, and often hostile,
sources of oil,” he added.
The poll was conducted Oct. 23-25 by the Mellman Group and surveyed 1,000
adults. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.