European biofuel producers have complained about unfair competition from imports. In a letter to European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson on 19 March, the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) noted that subsidised US imports have been flooding the European market. According to the EBB, "The US trade practice in fact is clearly breaching WTO rules and represents a serious threat to the fair trade of biofuels" at a time when a global biodiesel market is in its early stages of development. Loophole encourages triangular trade Under US policies to support biofuels, not only homegrown, but also imported biofuels that are blended in the US with as little as one percent mineral oil, enjoy a subsidy benefit of one US$ per gallon. This B99 biofuel blend can then be re-exported. When the B99 arrives in Europe, it again benefits from a tax brake on environmental grounds, and out-competes European-produced biodiesel. In practice, a triangular trade has developed, claims the EBB, with US biodiesel refiners importing biodiesel from Brazil, Indonesia or Malaysia, blending in small amounts of mineral diesel to benefit from the subsidy, and immediately re-exporting to Europe.
European biofuel producers have complained about unfair competition from imports. In a letter to European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson on 19 March, the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) noted that subsidised US imports have been flooding the European market. According to the EBB, "The US trade practice in fact is clearly breaching WTO rules and represents a serious threat to the fair trade of biofuels" at a time when a global biodiesel market is in its early stages of development.
Loophole encourages triangular trade
Under US policies to support biofuels, not only homegrown, but also imported biofuels that are blended in the US with as little as one percent mineral oil, enjoy a subsidy benefit of one US$ per gallon. This B99 biofuel blend can then be re-exported. When the B99 arrives in Europe, it again benefits from a tax brake on environmental grounds, and out-competes European-produced biodiesel. In practice, a triangular trade has developed, claims the EBB, with US biodiesel refiners importing biodiesel from Brazil, Indonesia or Malaysia, blending in small amounts of mineral diesel to benefit from the subsidy, and immediately re-exporting to Europe.
And using gazole to transport it across the seas from Brazil then to the EU, sucking money that is supposed to be spent on truly beneficial projects.
Skinning alive is too good for whoever is making money on this scam. Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.
Frank Delaney ~ Ireland
Skinning alive is too good for whoever is making money on this scam.
The money is not made from the scam, it's made exclusively from subsidies. Maybe we should sking alivz the politicians that make such highway robbery possible. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
govt subsidies are often braindead. i particularly love the US ones for "alternative fuels" where power cos can spray oil on coal and get a big subsidy. dumb, dumb dumb.
A note "sur la forme" : casually suggesting torture as a remedy for profiteering, even in jest, does not enhance the credibility of this forum in the wider readership, which Eurotrib should be targeting at this point in it's development. Old school news outlets enjoy pointing out this kind of excess as a reason to dismiss all of a blog's arguments wholesale.
Old school news outlets enjoy pointing out this kind of excess as a reason to dismiss all of a blog's arguments wholesale.
do you think any reasonable person could have taken him seriously?
If it isn't serious, why read it?
I'm sorry to be picking on one post, and person, in particular. But this is the kind of thing that makes blog reading fastidious to me and to some people I've spoken to: "some good stuff...too bad about the comments though".
Ultimately, it's about how wide you want your readership/impact.
You know, the quality of the comments on this blog is a cut above most others.
You should see the Spanish blogs. Another ETer described them to me as "feisty" which I think it's a polite understatement.
Though I do agree with you to a point. DeAnander was on a campaign to get people to stop it with the sexist jokes and set phrases at one point, too.
But if people start policing style like that (say, handing out 2's to people who make less than tasteful jokes) then the same people whom you expect will write off the blog because of the jokes will say it is a humourless bastion of political correctness. "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
Also, I want to make it clear that I am in no way trying to strike a blow for political correctness which I despise, nor am I a fan of the various speech polices running amok. I believe in free, not freeish, speech and I am acutely aware of the dangers posed by self-censorship.
My general point is that Eurotib claims to have a broader purpose, seeking a larger audience. Therefore, when posting here people might ponder whether they are really contributing or just making noise. If that means less "funny" people, less intellectual pontificating, I'm not sure it's a bad thing.
I have no intention of trying to get my mother-in-law* to come here. Really.
* I take it that's what you meant by stepmother (both being translatable by belle-mère in French).
"The English..soooo superior" (A fish Called Wanda:-)
