US Farmers Not Persuaded on Fast Change to Electric Cars

 

The United States might be about to make a large change: Away from cars that need gas to electric cars. However, biofuel companies and their supporters in Congress say "no." They want to increase the sales of gasoline with biofuels added, not leave it behind.

President Joe Biden has proposed a plan that includes billions of dollars to pay for 500,000 electric car power stations. Money is also being spent to electrify¹ public cars and repair the nation's electricity system. The plan seeks to copy moves in California and some other states to force the sale of electric cars. General Motors recently announced it would make only electric cars by 2035.

Yet any move from gasoline or biofuel cars to electric ones would happen slowly in the U.S. That is because there are currently 279 million non-electric cars. Producers of biofuels says their products will be needed for a long time.

The government's plan for electric cars comes as the U.S. works to reduce carbon emissions² that are blamed for climate change. The Environmental Protection Agency says cars on the road make up a large share of U.S. gas emissions from transportation.

The U.S. also wants to compete in the worldwide electric car market.

LMC Automotive is a research company that follows the car industry. It predicts that more than 1 million electric cars will be sold in the U.S. in 2023. The company says that will rise to over 4 million by 2030. But that is less than one fourth of normal yearly new car sales. Electric cars are now less than 2 percent of new sales.

A recent study from Harvard and Tufts universities found that ethanol gives off 46 percent less carbon than gasoline. Biofuel makers³ say it is important that the country has increased biofuel production.

Geoff Cooper is head of the Renewable Fuels Association in St. Louis. He said using ethanol is an easy way to reduce carbon emissions and slow climate change. Right now, normal gasoline is mixed with 10 percent ethanol. He wants that percentage changed to 15.

He said that it will take many years for gas-powered cars to disappear from American roads.

"Why not take steps now to reduce the carbon intensity⁴ of those liquid fuels?" Cooper said.

Each year, U.S. refineries⁵ make more than 57 billion liters of ethanol and more than 5.7 billion liters of biodiesel. Nearly 40 percent of the U.S. corn crop is used for ethanol and 30 percent of soybeans are used to make biodiesel.

Iowa's two Republican U.S. senators consider the move to electric cars a threat to farmers, especially in Iowa.

Senator Charles Grassley said last autumn that a plan by some democrats⁶ to end the sale of gas cars by 2035 would hurt Iowa.

"This...would absolutely destroy Iowa's economy because it's so dependent on agriculture and agriculture is so dependent on biofuels," Grassley said.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst argues that the $7,500 tax reductions for Americans buying electric cars usually go to rich people in eastern and western states. She says the tax credits are helping⁷ an industry that hurts farmers.

"I firmly believe Iowa taxpayers⁸ shouldn't be footing the bill for millionaires to get a discount on luxury cars," Ernst says on her Senate website.

Many farmers see the change to electric cars as a threat. They do not believe state and federal officials will protect rural economies.

"It's like you're almost helpless," said Ed Wiederstein. He is a partly-retired farmer near Audubon in western Iowa.

Over time, a move to electric vehicles likely will force farmers to plant other crops, said Chad Hart. He is an agriculture economist⁹ at Iowa State University.

"Agriculture is always shifting the crop mix to fit whatever markets offer the best opportunity," he said.

Words in This Story

biofuel – n. a fuel made from biological material such as wood, ethanol or vegetable oil

emissions – n. the act of producing or sending out energy or gas from a source

ethanol – n. a form of alcohol

refinery¹⁰ – n. a place where unwanted substances are removed from products like oil or sugar

luxury – adj. something that is expensive and not necessary

foot –v. (idiom) to pay for

shift – v. to move or cause to move to a different position

opportunity –n. a time or chance that something can be done

1 electrify   

v.使充电；使电气化；使触电；使震惊；使兴奋

参考例句：

• The country is now making effort to electrify and informationize manufacture.国家正在致力于制造业的电气化和信息化。
• He needs money to electrify his surface lines.他需要钱把他的地面线路电气化。

2 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

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 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

5 refineries   

精炼厂( refinery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The efforts on closedown and suspension of small sugar refineries, small saccharin refineries and small paper mills are also being carried out in steps. 关停小糖厂、小糖精厂、小造纸厂的工作也已逐步展开。
• Hence the sitting of refineries is at a distance from population centres. 所以，炼油厂的厂址总在远离人口集中的地方。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

9 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

10 refinery   

n.精炼厂，提炼厂

参考例句：

• They built a sugar refinery.他们建起了一座榨糖厂。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。