The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association, known as UNICA, launched a campaign July 4, 2008, targeting U.S. Independence Day travelers to encourage Congress to revisit the 54-cent-per-gallon ethanol import tariff.

The “Are We There Yet?” campaign calls on the American public should convince the U.S. Congress to reduce the tariff in order to reduce the cost of gasoline. “Americans are being denied an opportunity to save money at the pump,” said Joel Velasco, chief representative for UNICA. “Eliminating or even reducing the tariff on cane ethanol could provide immediate relief, particularly in states like California and Florida, where this form of fuel is already in use.” UNICA said that although the United States imported 189 million gallons of Brazilian sugarcane-based ethanol in 2007, consumers aren’t seeing the benefits they should, as sugarcane-based ethanol is cheaper to produce than corn-based ethanol in the United States. The tariff was first imposed in 1980 and to this day the ethanol import tariff remains at 54 cents.