Articles by Ron Steenblik
Ron Steenblik is a policy analyst with 35 years experience working on trade, energy, agricultural, and fisheries policies. He has a particular interest in subsidies and their effects.
All Articles
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Some miscellaneous but connected items
The daily news is never short of articles on biofuels these days, but these three caught my eye today.
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A bullet train, that is
According to this article, Brazil's transport ministry is considering whether to tender bids for a high-speed train linking São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Once (OK, if) the bullet train goes into operation, travel time would be just under an hour and a half, compared with the five hours it currently takes to drive between the two cities.
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Edwards, Canada, and now South Africa
Former Senator John Edwards (D-N.C.) -- now a presidential hopeful -- has just published his latest energy plan. One important plank of that plan foresees the nation producing (not just consuming, which would allow for imports) 65 billion gallons a year of ethanol by 2025. ("I'll meet your bid for 2030, Barack, and raise it by five billion!")
If the 51 cents a gallon volumetric ethanol excise tax credit (VEETC) is extended beyond the end of 2010 -- as most commentators and even the USDA expect will happen -- here's what the cumulative cost to the U.S. Treasury would be from 2007 through 2025, assuming straight-line growth:
Almost $350 billion (=$0.51 x 19 x [7+(65-7)/2]).
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An improvement on ‘Live green, go yellow’
Grist styles itself as communicating "gloom and doom with a sense of humor." In that spirit, I can't resist posting something that made me laugh this morning.
