The ethanol scam and its unintended consequences - From Reason: "Feed SUVs and Starve People? - Why turning food into fuel may not be such a good idea"
US farmers have gotten used to the federal subsidy gravy train, and ethanol is just another train on that track.
Frankly research into converting switchgrass to ethanol makes a heck of a lot more sense. No fertilizer is needed, no plowing, no planting. Just a big hay-cutter and bailer will do the job. According to some scientists working on the problem, switch grass will provide more ethanol per weight than corn does, and return more than 4 times the amount of energy used to actually harvest and convert it to ethanol. Corn is closer to a 1 to 1 ratio.
It shows there's no common sense in Washington DC. No surprise there.
US farmers have gotten used to the federal subsidy gravy train, and ethanol is just another train on that track.
ReplyDeleteFrankly research into converting switchgrass to ethanol makes a heck of a lot more sense. No fertilizer is needed, no plowing, no planting. Just a big hay-cutter and bailer will do the job. According to some scientists working on the problem, switch grass will provide more ethanol per weight than corn does, and return more than 4 times the amount of energy used to actually harvest and convert it to ethanol. Corn is closer to a 1 to 1 ratio.
It shows there's no common sense in Washington DC. No surprise there.