Corn Ethanol: From Panacea to Pariah?
I’ve written about the doubts surrounding biofuels before. Yesterday the Wall Street Journal published this story: Ethanol Craze Cools As Doubts Multiply
In the span of one growing season, ethanol has gone from panacea to pariah in the eyes of some. The critics, which include industries hurt when the price of corn rises, blame ethanol for pushing up food prices, question its environmental bona fides and dispute how much it really helps reduce the need for oil.
A recent study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development concluded that biofuels “offer a cure [for oil dependence] that is worse than the disease.” A National Academy of Sciences study said corn-based ethanol could strain water supplies. The American Lung Association expressed concern about a form of air pollution from burning ethanol in gasoline. Political cartoonists have taken to skewering the fuel for raising the price of food to the world’s poor.
What’s driving the continuing production? Big agribusiness corporations who fund the political campaigns of both parties whose politicians, once elected, write the regulations mandating more biofuel consumption and production.
