U.S., Brazil Weigh Ethanol Pact

[MNdudeswitz]

U.S., Brazil Weigh Ethanol Pact

U.S., Brazil Weigh Ethanol Pact
Talks Around Bush Visit Come as New Investors Rival Old Sugar Families
By ANTONIO REGALADO
March 7, 2007; Page A2

SÃO PAULO, Brazil -- President Bush is scheduled to arrive in Brazil tomorrow to discuss a possible alliance on ethanol fuel, but investors aren't waiting for a pact: They are already pouring money into new ethanol mills and sugar-cane fields here to meet growing domestic demand for the biofuel and in the hopes that exports will boom, too.

The U.S. market remains largely off-limits to Brazil because of tariffs and quotas that protect the U.S. ethanol industry, which is based on corn rather than sugar. But Japan and other energy-poor nations in Europe are already looking to Latin America's largest country for ethanol.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117322793728628939.html

[HoosierRon]

Brazil really does not need to care about U.S. tariffs. Thanks to Europe's carbonphobia, the rest of the world will buy all of the ethanol that Brazil can make. Plus, tariff or not, the U.S. will be buying more and more Brazilian ethanol for years to come. The U.S. just cannot keep up with demand.

My understanding is that the U.S. and Brazil are trying to get the rest of Latin America into producing ethanol to make it a world-wide commodity. This is good for everyone (except Hugo and the terrorists). Ironically, Cuba could become one of the world's largest suppliers of ethanol. Of course, Cuban ethanol would all go to China.

[plane]

Brazil.
Carnival.
The United States.
Mardi Gras.
An alcohol pact we can all live with.

I'll drink to that.

[guitarlix]

I don't think it's one big happy Mardi Gras carnival

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americ....ap/index.html

[VibenPontiac]

Originally Posted by HoosierRon

Of course, Cuban ethanol would all go to China.

Or the Ruskies

Originally Posted by guitarlix

I don't think it's one big happy Mardi Gras carnival

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americ....ap/index.html

Well that's because (whether or not you or I agree or not) "America is an international Pariah" not because of ethanol...kidding here, not being political Yes I know you're joking...well I think you are

On a side note Ethanol expansion could actually seriously be for real. The company I work for has a client that owns/serves quite a few Shell gas stations and all of them are going to have ethanol "on tap" by the end of May.

[Firebird00]

Even though ethanol avaliability is still under construction, I can't help but smile to think that one day we can collectively tell the Middle East to go to hell. They will have lost the ONLY thing that keeps them alive. I hope that day comes in my life time so I can see them ruined. Hurry up the ethanol and any other alternative fuel sources. 600 horsepower ethanol Corvettes would be awesome!

[escaladelover]

Ethanol is the only thing that's keeping U.S. Alive.

[Ambalanche]

Great, now let's rely on some other unstable region to supply our fuel.

[Kowalski]

What Americans know about Brazil?

[Road Kill]

You can't blame the average Brazilian for this but as the demand for their ethanol increases so does the demand for farm land. Now they cut down more rain forests to meet this need therefore hurting the environment even more. i think we have a problem here.

[69Firebird400]

Originally Posted by Ambalanche

Great, now let's rely on some other unstable region to supply our fuel.

I'm not sure if Brazil is as unstable or volatile as the Middle East is, but I also question how we're reducing our dependence on imported oil, only to increase our dependence on imported ethanol.

[rueben44]

Originally Posted by 69Firebird400

I'm not sure if Brazil is as unstable or volatile as the Middle East is, but I also question how we're reducing our dependence on imported oil, only to increase our dependence on imported ethanol.

Right plus the fact that we don’t have to be dependant because we can compete in this measure by simply making our production more cost effective which is not a stretch. Fewer pollutants and more options seem much better to me.

[Butz]

So America will turn from Middle East dependent to Latin America dependent

'Get Out, Imperialist!'

And in the southern city of Porto Alegre, more than 500 people yelled "Get out, imperialist!" as they marched to a Citigroup Inc. bank branch and burned an effigy of Bush.

Fearing that Brazil may clear pristine jungle to increase sugarcane cultivation for ethanol, Greenpeace activists hung a huge banner warning against increased reliance on ethanol as an alternative fuel.

They placed the banner on a monument to the 17th century Portuguese explorers who conquered Brazil's Indians in search of gold and gems.

"We know that Bush and the United States are known for exploiting weaker countries into deals that will only benefit themselves without worrying about the environment," said Mariana Schwarz, a 25-year-old publicist.

"Bush and the United States go to war to control oil reserves, and now Bush and his pals are trying to control the production of ethanol in Brazil. And that has to be stopped," said Suzanne Pereira dos Santos, an activist with Brazil's Landless Workers Movement.

I smell trouble, until America becomes energy independent the world will continue on hating us!

[tholland]

I live in Canada which has one national E85 gas station in Ottawa established about 4 or 5 years ago... what a complete joke! I'm sure we now have 100's of thousands of E85 capable vehicles and the consumers do not have that choice.

[natesriv]

they should still have a pact, but for butanol instead. No power loss, no mods needed to run on any gas engine.. can be piped through pipelines, no corrosion...

Wave of the future...