No, Ethanol Can't Cure Cancer

A recent Associated Press article questions recent predictions by ethanol advocates that the biofuel is a miracle cure for eliminating America's dependence on foreign oil and reducing carbon emissions.

This Q&A-style article lays out the basics of ethanol and questions the perfect-fuel scenario being put forth by ethanol advocates. Right now, most of the media's focus is on the potential advantages of ethanol, but there isn't much discussion of the realities behind its creation.

The article has answers that may surprise people. For example:

But aren't there environmental benefits to ethanol?

If you make ethanol from corn, the environmental benefits are limited. When you consider the greenhouse gases that are released in the growing and refining process, corn-based ethanol is only slightly better with regard to global warming than gasoline. Growing corn also requires the use of pesticides and fertilizers that cause soil and water pollution.

The environmental benefit of corn-based ethanol is felt mostly around the tailpipe. When blended into gasoline in small amounts, ethanol causes the fuel to generate less smog-producing carbon monoxide. That has made it popular in smoggy cities like Los Angeles.

Paul Peterson, a field supervisor for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation wrote a letter to the La Crosse Tribune last week promoting the use of ethanol. He claims that, "if every car in America would burn 10 percent ethanol, it could eliminate our dependence on foreign oil." This statement immediately prompts a few questions like, "where would we get the other 90% of our auto fuel" and "where would we get all of the ethanol from"? Just the title of his letter (which may have been given by the Tribune), is just plain wrong.

I realize that there is a strong contingent in this country who would love it if the demand for corn kept increasing, but they shouldn't be bending the truth to fit their economic agenda.

To restate an observation that's been made on this blog before, further development in ethanol, especially with crops that have a higher energy efficiency, like sugar cane, can be a part of the
renewable energy equation, but it most certainly isn't, "the answer."