July 21, 2005

Ethanol: Corn Dog

In the  Slate article 'Corn Dog' Robert Bryce talks about some problems with ethanol as an alternative motor fuel:
Making ethanol, they claim, will help America achieve the elusive goal of "energy security" while helping farmers, reducing oil imports, and stimulating the American economy. But the ethanol boosters are ignoring some unpleasant facts: Ethanol won't significantly reduce our oil imports; adding more ethanol to our gas tanks adds further complexity to our motor-fuel supply chain, which will lead to further price hikes at the pump; and, most important (and most astonishing), it may take more energy to produce a gallon of ethanol than it actually contains.
I've never been a fan of ethanol, and this article highlights the problems. It seems like the ethanol subsidies are more for ADM than they are for motorists or environmentalists. I feel the same way about most of the claims for bio diesel.
Posted by georgegmacdonald at July 21, 2005 05:55 PM