The most powerful force in nature isn’t the nuclear force, or anything wimpy like that; it’s the force of a bad idea whose moment has arrived.
Whenever I wanted to do something stupid and argued that my friends had done it, Mom would always say, “If Johnny jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you do that too?”
From The Oregonian:
A bill backed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski to give a big boost to biofuels use and production in Oregon passed the Senate Revenue Committee unanimously Tuesday and heads to the Senate floor for final approval.
The bill, House Bill 2210, already passed the House on a 53-4 vote.
The bill grants big tax breaks to biofuels producers, allowing them to be exempt from property taxes and also granting them tax credits for producing the raw materials or making them into renewable fuel.
The bill also gives consumers a tax credit for powering their cars or heating their homes using biofuel. And it requires gas stations to sell ethanol blended gas or biodiesel once in-state production of those fuels reaches target levels.
Analysts project that biofuel makers and users will get about $5 million of tax breaks per year.
Backers of the bill gave each other hand shakes and congratulatory back-slaps as it nears passage. They are hopeful the incentives will help make Oregon a magnet for the generation and use of biofuels.
