Bioethanol: A shiny penny for the U.S. economy
Deep down inside, you know that using corn ethanol as fuel must be good for the environment. Picture the process by which fossil fuels are produced: the refinery fires, the black sludge, the billowing acrid smoke and intolerable heat. Now think of a field of corn, their green stalks swaying languidly under a perfect sapphire sky. It is unfathomable to me that anyone who is able to form this mental image could ever argue that producing ethanol from corn isn’t a good idea. But it seems that whenever a great advance is made, there are always going to be a handful of critics who try to ruin it...
This uninformed, opinionated friend of yours clearly spent more time researching the topic than you have. Corn is definitely prettier than an oilrig though, so I believe you.
Hehe, Drew missed the point. I love people who can't see anything that's not put right in front of them. Read the article again Drew - did you get it this time?
Doh !
Great article!
It's partly responsible for the rise in food prices.
You put so much faith in our government and elected officials with your closing words, "Why would our government be spending so much money and resources [on corn based fuel and bioehtanol sudsidies] to support it??" I can only hope that your naivite will diminish with wisdom that comes with age and your will one day open your eyes and realize the bottom line: choices like these get votes in middle american states in an election year.
"Sens. Clinton, Obama and McCain all came out in favor of corn bioethanol programs, with McCain in particular reversing his position from “Ethanol is not worth it,” to “I support ethanol and I think it is a vital, a vital alternative energy source.”
Gee whiz paw! if Clinton, Obama AND McCain said its good for us it HAS TO BE! They couldent possibly be influeced by big agriculture and their $$ lobby.
#7 hits the nail on the head. I suppose the author thinks that Hybrids save energy too? Do your research on BOTH sides of the argument before you take such a one-sided stand. In fact, by the time that the batteries are manufactured, used and disposed of in a hybrid vehicle the energy consumed makes a regular gas burning conventional auto looks like a Mini-Cooper plastered with "Think Globally, Act locally" and "Darwin Fish" bumper snickers...Its like on "Trading Spaces" when the host says, "Open your eyes!".
Wow, I'm so ashamed to be a fellow Yalie today. Unless I missed some very poorly-writted satire, you seem to think starving the world's poor to death by using corn-based ethanol (which really does emit more carbon than regular old oil) is a good thing. I suppose you think we could burn their clothes and blankets in our SUVs too, then they would starve faster. What a day column - apparently Yale needs to institute a freshman ethics class so our out-of-touch, sheltered, fascist underclassmen can find out about human rights, not to mention using actual facts as the basis for their opinions.
Algae! Switchgrass! Cellulosic ethanol! BASLJGFANadGMADMG COME ON!
Just fix the Farm Bill and corn won't be such an attractive source for ethanol fuel anyway. Somebody? Anybody?