As I’ve blogged recently, Ethanol production, as proposed by the government, is nothing more than a major subsidy for corporate farm businesses, the oil industry and the US car makers as it costs more to make than it will sell for, it uses corn which we need for food, it requires huge amounts of petro products for its manufacture and it avoids the real immediate solution: mandated automobile fuel efficiency standards. Yet, tonight our President will address the nation and once again call for a huge ethanol initiative.
This is a death march approach to dealing with global warming and our addiction to oil. If we constantly look for a panacea that will let us keep consuming at current levels we will march off a cliff, lemmings to the siren call of the energy industry.
Short term we need a major call to tighten belts, energy-wise, change efficiency mandates and put political pressure on China and India to change their infrastructure. Long term we need renewable energy that does not require storage: geothermal, wave, hydro and other ‘always on’ sources that will be complimented by solar and wind.
Of course this President is so blinded by his own perceived destiny that he is constitutionally incapable of change. I believe long term the war in the Middle East will be superceded by his ignoring of climate change when they tally up the record of the worst leader in American history.