Ethanol Facts and Fiction

Complicated problems rarely have simple solutions. Our energy problems are no exception, and the simple-minded school of thought that holds ethanol up as a cure-all is only fooling itself - and many of us. John Stossel has a great piece titled, "The Many Myths of Ethanol," and it is must-reading. (Hat tip to Backyard Conservative.) The claim that using ethanol will save energy is another myth. Studies show that the amount of energy ethanol produces and the amount needed to make it are roughly the same. "It takes a lot of fossil fuels to make the fertilizer, to run the tractor, to build the silo, to get that corn to a processing plant, to run the processing plant," Taylor says. And because ethanol degrades, it can't be moved in pipelines the way that gasoline is. So many more big, polluting trucks will be needed to haul it. More bad news: The increased push for ethanol has already led to a sharp increase in corn growing -- which means much more land must be plowed. That means much more fertilizer, more water used on farms and more pesticides. FULL ARTICLE... For more information see Eco Rebuttal