Using Ethanol as a Fuel to Reenergize Free Trade Area of the Americas Negotiations

Currently the United States imposes a 2.5 percent ad valorem tax along with a 14.27 cents per liter tax on imported ethanol from countries with normal trade relations under the harmonized tariff schedule. However, the United States exempts many countries from this tariff or reduces the tariff under various free trade agreements or initiatives. The issues that resulted in Doha’s failure also caused FTAA negotiations to temporarily stall since both Brazil and the United States wanted certain FTAA issues negotiated at the WTO level. The United States could initiate this process with a discussion of reducing or eliminating its ethanol tariff and adjusting some domestic legislation, thus allowing ethanol to satisfy America’s energy thirst. In addition, a successful ethanol agreement may create many positive effects later in the negotiations and for the Americas. First, it would reduce America’s dependence on oil and potentially improve the United States security interests. An agreement on ethanol would bring issues traditionally left out of free trade agreements into the negotiations and ultimately into the agreement for a FTAA

Misleadingly Green: Time to Repeal the Ethanol Tariff and Subsidy for Corn

The United States is recognizing the value and importance of energy diversification, but it may also be creating greater environmental harm in the process. If America decreases its dependence on foreign oil it will create greater economic security for itself, reduce its current account deficit, provide less financing for tyrannical leaders and terrorists with American petrodollars, and improve its environmental credentials. To reduce America’s craving for oil, the government encourages domestic ethanol production; the United States is behind only Brazil, the world’s largest producer of ethanol, and combined the two produce over 70 percent of the world’s ethanol. Currently the U.S. domestic ethanol industry is grow- ing as a result of alternative fuels becoming politically popular, and the addition of a subsidy and tariff applied to ethanol. However, arguably the ethanol tariff and subsidy do not provide any substantial environmental benefits for the United States or the world

Changing Tides: The Need for New Legislation To Prevent Algae Blooms

Under normal conditions, many species of algae form the the same throughout all coastal waters: (1) increased water temaquatic and terrestrial animals. However, algae can grow out of control creating a large mass called a harmful algae bloom (“HAB”) that produces dangerous toxins and threatens both humans and aquatic animals. In 2003, Congress passed legislation promoting more research on HABs in an attempt to prevent the damaging effects of these blooms on our oceans and lakes. Nevertheless, even after Congress recognized that a single HAB can cost millions of dollars in damage, it has not passed any legislation aimed at preventing or controlling this problem

Mitigating Black Carbon as a Mechanism to Protect the Arctic and Prevent Abrupt Climate Change

Climate change is impacting the Arctic earlier and more intensely than any other area of the planet. Winter temperatures have increased as much as three-to- four degrees Celsius in the past fifty years and are projected to increase four-to-seven degrees Celsius over land areas and seven-to-ten degrees over the Arctic Ocean by the end of the century. One industry that looks likely to benefit, at least in the short term, from the effects of the diminished Arctic sea ice is shipping

World News

The South African government recently announced legislation that will end canned hunting, the practice of breeding animals in captivity and then releasing them into an enclosed area to be hunted, virtually guaranteeing a successful hunt. Over 50,000 animals were hunted by nearly 7,000 tourists in the 2003–04 season. In South Africa, the industry generates an estimated half a billion dollars annually. While environmentalists allege the legislation does not do enough, breeders say the law will destroy the hunting industry and they will be forced to slaughter many of the 5,000 captive lions in South Africa, as they can’t afford to feed the lions and there is not enough room for them in the wild