Big Oil Launches Ad Campaign Against U.S. Biofuel Rule

Jul 16, 2013

Big Oil Launches Ad Campaign Against U.S. Biofuel Rule

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

The American Petroleum Institute (API) kicked-off an advertising campaign aimed at putting pressure on the White House to repeal a federal biofuel rule.

API’s push comes as the House and Senate are holding hearings to discuss the biofuel-blending rule, which would require 36-billion gallons of renewable fuels with conventional gasoline by 2022.

The ads show a car mechanic, who warns that fuels with high ethanol concentration could damage vehicle engines and may be problematic for warranties. The significant campaign was rolled about in radio, TV, print and online.

While API’s goal is to fully repeal the rule, it is unlikely to happen, but lowering the blend mandate could be a possibility. The biofuel industry is calling the ads misleading, arguing that API wants to maintain its monopoly on the fuel market.

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.