The Ethanol Mandate Should Not Be Expanded

Beyond costs, the claimed benefits of ethanol use have not materialized. For one thing, it does not reduce oil imports as much as promised, partially because a gallon of ethanol can do the work of (and therefore replace) only two-thirds of a gallon of gas oline. In addition:

1. A significant amount of petroleum-based prod ucts is used in growing corn, such as the diesel fuel for tractors and harvesters;[9]
2. Certain components of gasoline must be removed before adding ethanol to prevent the overall blend from violating environmental requirements under Clean Air Act provisions, which are applicable in many parts of the coun try; and
3. Transporting ethanol requires more energy than transporting gasoline because ethanol transported by pipeline (the most energy-effi cient means of transport) becomes contami nated by moisture along the way. Instead, ethanol is shipped via petroleum-using trucks, barges, and railroads.

File this new legislation with the Mint's discussion regarding CAFE standards and minimum wage hikes. Though it sounds great, it doesn't do much of anything. If you do not get through all of that, E85 is not the silver bullet it has been made out to be for a number of reasons. For starters, a gallon of ethanol is not as efficient as a gallon of gasoline. Outside of the chemistry, it takes gasoline to produce and transport ethanol. Unless John Deere is coming out with E85 tractors, more corn production equals more gas consumption. Add to that the fact that the transportation of ethanol is more involved that gasoline--pipelines tend to collect condensation with negatively affects ethanol. Then there's the farm subsidies that the Fed hands out which add to the cost of production.

Which leads to the total level of production capable. If the US farmers were maxed out, they would only be able to supply about 20% of the 145B gallons of fuel consumed each year by the United States. Unless the farm subsidies were removed, and the US was able to get ethanol from foreign markets, such as South America, there's little change E85 can make a dent in current oil consumption.