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 TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2010 12:07 am |
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• New furlough bill aims for 10 days without pay March 15 • Oil spill settlement to net $588,000 for projects March 15 • State parks director to retire March 12 • Gregoire to lawmakers: You've got seven days to get it done March 11 • PDC leader is stepping down March 11 |
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• Time to dole out Cappies, despite Olympia's unfinished business March 14 • Republicans may get chance to lead in the Washington state Legislature March 7 • Democrats are strangely silent on tribal revenue-sharing idea February 28 • Don't expect an Obama visit to Evergreen state anytime soon February 14 |
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COMMENTS
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Gregoire is forcing consumers to pay a hidden expense and thus more sales tax, perhaps the press hasn't noticed but have you? Has she calculated this sales tax increase in her budget?
By increasing the ethanol mandate to the fuel supply, consumers must now buy more gallons to travel the same distance. Ethanol has less energy than regular gasoline, and thus reduces the miles per gallon. That is an undisputable fact. That represents more sales tax income.
Second, ethanol accelerates the deterioration of open cycle gasoline engines (off road vehicles, power tools, chain saws, boat motors, generators, etc.). Don't believe me? Read the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute's report www.opei.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/1926. Or how about the Boat Owners Association of the US http://www.boatus.com/PressRoom/release.asp?id=457
And third, the WA State Department of Ecology personally told me last year that any more than 2% ethanol in the fuel supply meant Seattle would not meet EPA ozone attainment levels. Is that the systems change you sought? Do you know why the phrase "from wonder fuel to blunder fuel" is becoming more popular?
What about the costs of safety? Chainsaw kickback, stalled boat motors, emergency generators that won't start, inefficient operations, fuel that must be drained and dispose of, and prematurely damaged equipment that must be discarded into the landfill, are all part of the systems failure the Legislature has imposed by mandating ethanol. And now Gregoire plans to increase the percentage?
If you think Gregoire is smart, then you have to assume she knows that sales tax revenue will increase as consumers struggle to replace failed equipment. Of course, that reduces the savings of consumers, but why should she care, she'll be out of office in 3 years.
Randy Dutton | Dec 8, 2009 10:54 am | 0 replies | Request removal
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