Oil for Ethanol: Swapping One Fuel Addiction for Another?

by Fred White | November 28th, 2006

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With all the continued talk of the too-familiar catchphrase “America is addicted to oil,” we can’t help but wonder if ethanol might be the new fuel addiction lurking around the corner, based on a flurry of manufacturing activity in this space. But not everyone thinks ethanol is the best juice to get hooked on.

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Massive amounts of corn are used to make ethanol, so it makes sense then that so many ethanol plants are popping up in the Midwest faster than you can say “Orville Redenbacher.”

Global Renewable LLC, for instance, is building a $195 million ethanol plant in Wisconsin and aims to crank up operations in October 2008.

US BioEnergy Corp., which owns and operates two ethanol plants and has another four ethanol plants under construction, has its sights set on yet another ethanol facility. When built, this one will consume some 36 million bushels of corn annually.

Dow Jones picked up on news that VeraSun Energy Corp. has begun construction of an ethanol plant near Hartley, Iowa, that will produce 110 million gallons per year, the company said Monday. The company estimates that the facility will process more than 39 million bushels of corn per year.

However, an aerospace engineer over at the John Birch Society writes of the negative impact that ethanol production poses, referring to Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Director Kenneth G. Cassman, who said if the rush to ethanol continues, there could be less corn available for human consumption and livestock feed leading to higher prices. In addition:

There are about 75 million acres currently under corn cultivation — twice that of any other crop. At 2.8 gallons of ethanol per bushel of corn and 162 bushels per acre, about 750 million acres of corn would be required to replace the BTU content of gasoline and diesel fuel used in the United States.

Other (ahem, less-conservative) organizations are also casting a wary eye toward the ethanol craze.

The Des Moines Register, for instance, says the city has hired a consultant to evaluate competing ethanol plant proposals and the potential environmental effects ethanol production poses to the city’s southeast side. Residents want to know if a plant will operate on coal or natural gas, an issue with which city manager Rick Clark continues to struggle:

Clark has noted that various technical advancements have been made in coal plants that make them less toxic than in past decades. Some of the information that has been circulated to City Council members by various groups conflicts, Clark said. He said he believes an independent consultant is needed to evaluate the plans and give the council unbiased facts.

As ethanol’s promise and popularity increase, and as politics continues to creep into the ethanol decision-making process, some significant questions remain unanswered: Is ethanol being created for the wrong reasons? Will it deplete the national corn supply, thus driving up prices? Would it be a catastrophic mistake to become addicted to ethanol? Better, is ethanol a practical alternative?

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Comments:

D. Owens

November 28, 2006

I have asked some of those same questions myself. Also, what about other circumstances, such as drought or wild fires?

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R. Bowman

November 28, 2006

The use of ethanol cannot and should not be expected to alleviate our dependence on oil by itself. But it is one more option that we can use. We should be persuing many alternatives at once for improving our energy use. The goal is to not be dependent on any one source and to do as little harm to the environment as possible.

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Anon

November 28, 2006

Why would anyone in their right mind cite a far right group like the John Birch Society on anything, let alone a topic which is well discussed in the non-fascist press.

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TOM BALISH

November 28, 2006

SUBJECT: ENDING AMERICA’S ADDICTION TO OIL–EMPOWERING THE PEOPLE

Boston Globe, United States – Nov 23, 2006
… Without pretense or preachiness, broadcast journalist Chris Balish offers insights and strategies on “How to Live Well Without Owning a Car” (Ten Speed Press). …

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Jim Taylor

November 28, 2006

By utilizing corn for ethanol, not only will consumer prices be driven up, we are not getting the most energy for our buck. Sugar ethanol delivers about 8 times the energy that corn ethanol does (see “New York Times,” April 10, 2006). Brazil is well down the path to energy independence using sugar ethanol, yet it is too expensive to consider importing sugar due to the $.54 per pound import duties th United States imposes. This subsidy benefits huge corporate growers in Florida, to the detriment of the US consumer and a new industry.

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Ras

November 29, 2006

Well, fuel is what makes the world go round. So yes, any fuel, be it nuclear, sun, wind and even ethanol is “Swapping One Fuel Addiction for Another”. We have plenty of oil if we are allowed to drill for it. We have plenty of coal if it was not politically incorrect. But then there is the global warming crowd. Has any body heard about the research reports that the sun is shining brighter these days and that is probably a solar cycle playing out. In fact scientists have been saying this for awhile. Back in 2004 here was a Washington Times article that discusses this issue…

http://www.washtimes.com/world/20040718-115714-6334r.htm

Now why don’t we hear this possibility in the global warming debate. If we debate this issue rather than be screamed at by the likes of Al Gore maybe we can have real discussions that turn into real understanding and from that real solutions.

So, let’s start drilling in ANWR, let’s start tapping into our vast coal reserves and yes let’s develop alternate energy sources. Ethanol from corn will not save the day and will have other effects on the economy.

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Jesse Fowler

November 29, 2006

Considering that the fertilizer we use to grow the corn is made from natural gas, corn-based ethanol *is* a petroleum product.

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JOHN

November 30, 2006

There are two ethanol facilities being built within 100 miles of my city. It has been politically promoted to the farm community by our senior senator Dick Lugar as the panacia to end dependance on foreign oil….what bull sh–!

Farmers have a herd mentality…a few years ago when prices were high, they leveraged all they could to buy land, things slowed and bank forclosures and equipment repos were everywhere. Now they are all lined up to plant corn on all the land they can plow. Other crop market values will go up, soy beans as an example. What will be the impact on the consumer for all the products that have soy bean by-products in them?

The oil producers of the world are not fools. If and when ethanol cuts our imports [demand goes down] what happens to prices, they go down too. If oil drops much below what it is now, ethanol production is not competitive. The results of the closing of those plants is apparent; corn no one wants, farmers with debt they can not pay, default on loans to build the plants, communities
that offered tax abatement in the interest of new jobs and tax collection in the future when the abatement ends, with income short fall to fund basic community needs.

What better way for the oil producers to keep prices under their control than to eliminate a source of competition, just price it out of the market. The very short-term gain, if there is one, creates the likely possibility of far more problems than it solves. That seems to be always the case when one attacks results of a problem rather than the root cause.

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Ras

November 30, 2006

Here is another possibility. Ethanol does not have to be made with corn or soy beans. Sir Richard Branson has announced plans to run Virgin Atlantic planes on plant waste rather than aircraft fuel.

htttp://www.virgin.com/news/default.asp?sy=2003&ey=2006&sm=6&em=11&cid=0&nr=12&p=4&kwd=-&newsId=800&pst=-

You have to give him credit, he is putting his money where his mouth is if you believe his commitment donate all profits from his transportation businesses over 10 years to combat global warming — an estimated $3 billion.

Cellulosic Ethanol is an alternative raw material for all you ethanol lovers. Using waste product from farming and turning into fuel may solve some problems.

http://www.harvestcleanenergy.org/enews/enews_0505/enews_0505_Cellulosic_Ethanol.htm

And to the point about oil producers, the price of oil is set on the world markets. It is a supply and demand issue. If we increase the supply, ANWR, we break the backs of the OPEC nations who set artificial limits on production to keep oil high.

Also, we can bring down the price of gasoline if we can agree across state lines as to formulation. There are too many state mandated gas formulations which means our refineries can not work as efficiently as possible. And as to the refineries, maybe we should allow more to be built which means greater capacity and lower prices.

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Denny

December 8, 2006

At first glance, the thought of growing ethanol crops seems to make sense. But after looking at the “numbers” and the facts, ethanol alcohol, as it is manufactured today, does not appear to be a workable or significant energy alternative. This is too bad because our country could sure use a significant and positive spin on (ethanol) alcohol use and abuse :-)

From a different perspective, why not look into the very recent alternate energy potential of pressurized air as an energy source for cars and trucks. According to the designers of this technology, it would cost users $2.00 for every 60 miles and a refill would be as easy as going to a gas station and pumping air in your air tank. Even this energy alternative, however, needs to be checked against the “numbers” and the “facts” for feasibility and do- ability.

DenMan7
http://www.About-Alcohol-Info.com

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