Ethanol: the best thing since sliced bread of corn?

Biofuel ethanol (ethyl alcohol), also known as a beverage when it is purified, bottled and sold in liquor stores, has been the biggest benefit to some farmers and some Member States since the inventions of tractors and porta-potties. For all others, has been a bust.

The mixture of up to 10% ethanol with gasoline, now mandatory in many States and localities, was an idea the Government ostensibly started in the interest of reducing dependence on foreign oil imports. He became a typical wasteful boondoggle that is enriching farm States and farmers who raise corn, potatoes and sugar cane and winning great political points with politicians while he is helping to impoverish the fuel they need to survive.

Alcohol as fuel for motor vehicles is hardly a new idea. Henry Ford built his Ford Model-T to run it, or a gas or a mixture. Alcohol as a widespread biofuel, however, is much more a modern concept and much less product than minds supple of conservationists, environmentalists and the good people at the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA. As is so often the case when the Government is involved in anything, bureaucrats are incapable of factoring in obvious or unintended consequences.

BiofuelsWatch.com listed the numerous negative associated with the use and production of ethanol. They include the explosive danger (is more flammable than gasoline), its solvent properties, drying and absorbing water that can lead to contamination of the engine and the disintegration of rubber and plastic, its lower energy value, its potential irritant and can cause cancerhis biggest despesae, primarily, its effect on food production.
Only in the case of the EPA has visions of the nation running on ethanol, BiofuelsWatch notes, "large amounts of arable land would be required to produce ethanol in quantities needed ... It is believed that if all the agricultural land available in the United States was changed to crop for ethanol production, only meet a small percentage of demand countries [sic]: "http://bit.ly/565C0s

Of course, mass numbers of Americans also would starve to death but, Hey, cleaner air is cleaner air.

Other official sources cite additional inconvenience of ethanol. American Liberty mentions "problems" acceleration performance of ethanol, the lack of any real reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and water needed to "grow" the fuel, the cost to the consumer, to import ethanol from Brazil and inclination of the Government for wasting money: http://bit.ly/efqnpH

In all, bio-ethanol is an excellent idea, as long as you don't mind paying more and don't mind its potential to explode in your face, destroying and/or make your vehicle the equivalent of a go-cart, not having water not eating. That is a worst case scenario, but remember, ethanol is an initiative of the Government, so it's probably even worse than currently believed.