OK, technically they aren’t requiring unicorns in your fuel, but they might as well be. This is exhibit A for this month in the case of why we need need limited government (exhibit B is the ridiculous 16 oz. drink requirement in NY, which would be exhibit A if it were a Federal requirement). Via EPA fines oil refiners for failing to use nonexistent biofuel:
Question: Do you fill your car’s tank with gasoline that is part cellulosic ethanol, an environment-friendly distillate of wood chips, corn cobs, and switch grass? Let me answer for you: No, you don’t. You couldn’t if you wanted to. Petroleum products blended with cellulosic ethanol aren’t commercially available, because the technology for mass-producing cellulosic ethanol hasn’t been perfected. None of which has stopped the Environmental Protection Agency from imposing hefty yearly fines on oil refiners. According to the The New York Times, in 2011 automotive fuel producers were assessed $6.8 million in penalties. That amount is expected to climb dramatically this year. Guess who ends up footing the bill for the difference?
This has got to be the ultimate example of government bureaucracy gone mad.
One of my frustrations with people who should know better is when they perpetuate the straw-man argument that conservatives don’t want any government at all (“Golly, then they shouldn’t drive on roads, call 911, etc.”). We aren’t anarchists. We just understand the law of unintended consequences, and we know that bad things happen if you let government have too much power over your lives.