Who's big idea was ethanol?

Question

How about someone asks Al Gore?

Isn't burning our major food supply a bad idea?

How about those grocery bills, Al?

What is the next knee jerk reaction that will bite us in the butt?

Answer 1

From such largest, however springs a large conundrum. "There is no magic-bullet fuel crop that can solve our energy woes without harming the environment..."

Corn, for example, "requires large doses of herbicide and nitrogen fertilizers can cause more soil erosion than any other crop,"writes Joel k. Bourne,Jr."And producing corn ethanol consumes just about as much fossil fuel as the ethanol itself replaces."

Scientists hope to "improve the energy balance and greenhouse gas benifits of ethanol by creating a closed-loop system" that would fire the boilers with methane made from cattle menure- "in effect using biogas to make biofuel."

Further more ethanol is 20% less efficient than regular gasoline. By putting these two together what have we accomplish.????

Answer 2

originally developed by a Muslim chemist

Answer 3

it was Owl Gore's bright idea:

Remember Gore's 1994 Tie-breaking Vote Mandating Ethanol

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news...

Answer 4

Oh please stop.  Would you please turn off your darn radio and open a text book once in while?

We should be prepared to admit that the technology isn't perfected right now and using the kernels of corn not ideal in this respect.

However, scientist are working on ways to make using the biomass - the waste material like the stalks and the outer leaves a viable option. In Oregon, we've endorsed the biofuels with the notion that we're simply at Stage 1 - we need to build the infrastructure and promote the research to get to the next level using the biomass waste... and it's not limited to corn - it could use "renderings" like cow carcasses! Ew, but ok better than putting that in the landfill, though the cost of Elmer's glue might go up.

The important thing I think for folks to realize is that we're in a painful transition period and it ain't going to be easy, but let's have some faith in the market system and our science geeks, shall we?

Another point - the claims of food shortage may be overblown... this is straight from the Oregon Economic and Community Development Dept's briefing to Governor Kulongoski:

Ethanol from corn is not the largest factor in food availability or price increases

•There is less corn acreage in production today than there was 100 years ago. However, corn output per acre has increased over 500% over this time due to increased productivity in agriculture. Technology and productivity increases will continue to contribute to grower’s ability to meet demand for various needs of corn production in the US and around the world.

•Price increases for food has less to do with ethanol or biodiesel production, than it does with the five fold increase in petroleum price over the past five years. Recent studies show that price increases in gasoline and diesel have affected food prices three times as much as corn or ethanol.

Biofuels unfairly singled out on land use change impacts.

Recent reports have attempted to estimate the environmental consequences of land use changes around the world. Some studies single out biofuels as a contributor to a “carbon debt.” These analyses ignore:

•Agricultural land use shifts to non-farm use from other pressures, such as urbanization;

•Ongoing improvements in agricultural yields and efficiency advancements in biofuel production;

•Increasing environmental impacts and cost of oil extraction, and

•Life cycle requirements in federal and state biofuels laws and policies.

The current first-generation biofuels (corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel) are not perfect and alone will not solve all our problems. The current and future use of renewable fuels reduces harmful greenhouse gases compared to petroleum fuels. The environmental performance of biofuels continues to improve and the next generation of biofuels will provide even further greenhouse gas reductions. Neither fuel beats conservation or vehicle efficiency improvements for its economic and environmental benefits.

Answer 5

Politicians and the agri-business complex.  It was always intended to raise the price of corn.  GHG reductions and energy independence were just the selling points.

Answer 6

whoever it was should composted with out delay

second entry after the orangutans

http://byderule.multiply.com/journal/ite...

Answer 7

How about effort? You can't solve problems without trying! I've read some reports that explain that, despite the petroleum based fertilizer, the out come is still less petroleum.

If people are always afraid of failing, we won't get any where.

Just think, if the trucks that transport our food can run less expensively, our food prices on everything (not just corn based products) will go down.

Big picture folks!