posted on Mar, 3 2008 @ 09:30 AM
Ethanol is made from corn and other sugar produce. It takes petroleum products,from the fuel to run the tractors, trucks and combines to the
herbicides used on the corn, to make it. Corn and other produce prices have continued to skyrocket, causing more farmers to put more acreage into
corn production to get a slice of the pie. There's less acreage used for editable crops. Food crops still have a demand that exceeds the supply,
driving those prices up.
It is about time farmers got real money for their crops, but prices will continue to go up across the board for everything we buy in the grocery
store. In the long run our food bill goes up 15% or more but we'll be able to pay a dime a gallon less at the pump for a product that gives us 20%
worse fuel economy, and cost 110% of what it's worth in energy input vs. output. We keep digging the hole we're in and continue to drive ourselves
downward.
No pipelines have been built to carry ethanol so it must be shipped by rail or truck from Midwest refineries to population centers along the coasts,
this defeats the low cost myth.
No cost saving here:
3.34 for ethanol fuel
3.49 premium
3.79 for diesel
3.20 for E-85
[edit on 3-3-2008 by starskipper]