The ethanol gold rush has begun, and some serious problems may be on the horizon, according to an article in today's New York Times.
Not only is there debate about how much good ethanol is going to be in solving the country's energy problems, there also is concern about the effect the increased production might have on the food supply and on the type of land that eventually might be used to grow corn to make it.
1 comment:
The oil and gas industry and their buddies in the Bush Administration and Congress would love for the ethanol industry to go bust: That way we will be 100% dependent on their price-gouging as they control the flow of foreign and domestic oil.
Yes, ethanol is pricey now: It is a rare commodity. However, as the supply increases, the price should go down. Perhaps ALL those farms in "diverted acres" should be planted with ethanol-producing grains and other crops.
No, the U.S. hasn't built more refineries for years. But now, in the face of unparalleled profits, the oil and gas barons still don't build more refineries. If they had more refineries, they would have to refine more oil and the price would go down.
It seems to me that if the U.S. has a chance to free itself from the domination of the oil producing nations, we should get to it.
That won't please Bush and his pals but they don't have the interests of the people at heart anyway. If they did, we would have already declared our energy independence.
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