VOA标准英语2014--Alternative Fuel Ethanol Hits a Wall 替代燃料乙醇遭遇难题/撞墙

 

Alternative Fuel Ethanol Hits a Wall 替代燃料乙醇遭遇难题/撞墙

When U.S. drivers fill their tanks with ethanol, they are essentially¹ buying fermented² corn grown by American farmers. 

A 2007 law requires gasoline makers³ to add increasing amounts of the biofuel to the U.S. fuel supply. With petroleum⁴-based fuels contributing to climate change, advocates have backed plant-based biofuels as a greener source of energy.

However, rising costs and competition for resources have led some regulators to propose a reduction in the ethanol requirement.  

Ethanol boom

The 2007 law sparked an ethanol boom that has boosted rural economies. 

Another benefit, according to Bob Dinneen, head of the ethanol trade group the Renewable Fuels Association, is that corn absorbs the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide as it grows. 

“We are produced from agricultural crops and residues⁵ that are taking carbon out of the air, something petroleum can’t claim,” Dinneen said.

But ethanol has a flock of critics. Poultry⁶ and other meat producers say their animals are now competing with ethanol for the corn supply. That has raised corn prices and costs for raising livestock⁷.

“Eventually these higher costs borne by the industry have to be passed along," said Hobey Bowen, president of the Virginia Poultry Federation⁸. "So, this policy has contributed to inflation, food inflation.”

Too much to handle

Another factor may also put a lid on ethanol’s growth. 

“There’s more ethanol in the gasoline required by the mandate⁹ than the vehicle fleet and fueling infrastructure¹⁰ can handle,” Patrick Kelly, a policy advisor¹¹ for the American Petroleum Institute.

Here’s why. Most U.S. gasoline currently contains 10 percent ethanol. Raising it to 15 percent would be one way to meet the law’s requirements. But some cars may not be able to handle a higher mix of ethanol.

“If you have a car that was designed to use E-10, and that fuel pump [in your car] is not compatible with E-15, it could leave you on the side of the road stranded,” Kelly said.

So the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to lower the ethanol requirement for this year. 

Going backwards¹²?

Dinneen, of the Renewable Fuels Association, says that's a bad idea.

“It’s going backwards on our energy policy, not forwards,” he said.

Dinneen says Congress passed the law intending to drive major changes in where the United States gets its fuel. One side effect, for example, is that car companies now make some models that can run on up to 85 percent ethanol.

“If you’re going to have ethanol replacing gasoline, if we want to have options other than fracking and drilling deeper and deeper in the Gulf¹³ [of Mexico], we have got to assure investors¹⁴ that there is going to be a market for these new advanced biofuels,” he said.

These new biofuels can be made from garbage, corn cobs, or other plant matter, which could end the food-versus-fuel debate. 

 

What fuels our cars in the coming years may hinge on EPA’s final decision, expected in June.

1 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

2 fermented   

v.（使）发酵( ferment的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰

参考例句：

• When wine is fermented, it gives off gas. 酒发酵时发出气泡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His speeches fermented trouble among the workers. 他的演讲在工人中引起骚动。 来自辞典例句

3 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

5 residues   

n.剩余，余渣( residue的名词复数 )；剩余财产；剩数

参考例句：

• pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables 残留在水果和蔬菜中的杀虫剂
• All organic and metallic residues on the wafers must be removed. 片子上所有的有机和金属残留物均必须清除。 来自辞典例句

6 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

7 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

8 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

9 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

10 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

11 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

12 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

13 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

14 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会