Liquid Gold

Here in Minnesota, a mandated 10% ethanol in gasoline results in a 3% to 5% decrease in fuel mileage for cars and trucks. This is a product that requires more energy to produce than it creates and needs massive state and federal subsidies for success. It appears to be primarily agricultural welfare. Search "ethanol BTU" for some interesting details.

So then what does that mean in the way of Ethanol fuels efficiency is it so inefficient that they are no longer going to try and produce it.

Water in recent years has become more valuable than either the crops grown or the land they are grown upon, but the water wars have simmered throughout the region for decades, and the drought will only intensify the disputes. Only when the water is completely gone will there be agreement. Among the farmers, politicians,and city dwellers the chorus will rise across the west " it wasn't our fault".

I have to agree to many of these comments that corn based ethanol is not a long term answer. Between diesel use to plant and harvest the crop not to mention the energy required to run the irrigation systmems, energy used in the refining process, and transportation, net energy gained is in best case scenarios near zero and in many real world situations a negative. Yes, corn can be grown cheaper in the true corn belt, but if you are a farmer who has been scraping by on $2 corn or $4 wheat for the past twenty years and finally have an oppurtunity to make a little money of course you are going to plant more acreage, whether you are in the corn belt or another agriculture part of the US. This has many consequences, including but not limited to historic highs in the wheat market ($18.53/bu) last week (due to more acres in corn less in wheat). This will show as an increase in prices for flour, bread etc. The costs of other food goods beef, poultry, pork, and other fed animals will also dramatically increase. Another enviromental concern is hundreds of thousands of acres of CRP are being taken out so that grain crops can be grown. This will result in a loss of wetlands and habitat for native species. As a free market farmer if the gov't wants to pay me for not growing crops that is great, but if I can make 4-10 times more replanting that acreage it makes sense for me to do it. For those not from the West water has been a source of contention for th last 150 years. Yes, agriculture uses a lot of water but with signicant increases in irrigation technologies it takes 90% less water to irrigate an acre of land today than it did in the 1950's, and fewer acres are actually being farmed in the US than in the 50's. The major problems is the huge increase in water usage in urban areas and a cyclical drought that has lasted nearly a decade. We may very well be facing a water crisis in a vast portion of the US, but it is not agricultures fault alone. Don't blame the farmers they are just trying to finally make a buck and keep all of your supermarkets filled with affordable food. Corn ethanol policy is not the long term answer for our energy needs. One final note is that it is very likely that this will be just another cycle in the crop acreage issue. As more acres are planted, and as ethanol plants fail at the expected rate, the market will adjust downward, prices will drop, and acreage will again be take out of use.

There are other sources to make ethanol besides corn. One is a grass that requires less water, is only planted once and produces the product for ethanol for years. It means only one operation, which saves fuel used to produce the product.
Arluvene

Yuma county is one of the top three corn producing counties in the country, this is the way our families support their children. As a fifth generation resident of this wonderful area, I am one of very many worried residents about our resources and the water table dropping. Unless drastic measures are taken the GREAT PLAINS will dry up, and the nation will be thrust into another "dust bowl". Until it effects the entire nation, it will not be addressed properly.

Ethanol is just another example of politicians making poor policy decisions based on making the ignorant electorate feel good to get themselves re-elected instead of good science-based policy that is actually good for the country.

Not to completely call out Newsweek, but are they just filling space with this story? Jobs are going over seas at record rates and we're really concerned about the slight shortage in water that an increase in demand for corn will cause? I tend to think that major stimuli's for the American economy fall into the plus column.

Not to completely call out Newsweek, but are they just filling space with this story? Jobs are going over seas at record rates and we're really concerned about the slight shortage in water that an increase in demand for corn will cause? I tend to think that major stimuli's for the American economy fall into the plus column.

David Blume debunks these myths in "Alcohol Can Be A Gas." You mention "Waste" that must be "disposed". That waste is the dried distillers grains left over after removing the starch from corn, which can then be used to feed cattle. Also, the article assumes that corn is the only answer... it is not! Permaculture and polyculture farming can be used. Besides, mining Oil Shale takes up 99% more water than ethanol

David Blume debunks these myths in "Alcohol Can Be A Gas." You mention "Waste" that must be "disposed". That waste is the dried distillers grains left over after removing the starch from corn, which can then be used to feed cattle. Also, the article assumes that corn is the only answer... it is not! Permaculture and polyculture farming can be used. Besides, mining Oil Shale takes up 99% more water than ethanol production.

Also, this article assumes corn is the only answer for making alcohol fue

The process of turning corn into ethanol requires about 1,700 gallons of water for every 1 gallon of ethanol produced. Additionally, each gallon of ethanol leaves behind 12 gallons of waste that must be disposed.

Folks, ethanol is not the answer by any stretch. If we nudge its throttle full speed ahead, I predict that by 2020 many regions, particulary the mid-West-West, will be paralyzed by water shortages. Tell your congressman that we need to drop the subsidies.

I own a corn stove and have seen the price of corn skyrocket because of the ethanol boom. It just doesn't make senase that we would consume all the water and natural gas to produce energy when we could consume the corn as it is in it's natural state. The price of consumer goods / food are soaring because of this stupid goverment idea that we will be self suficient will oil? Wind power or nuclear are the way to go here!

I own a corn stove and have seen the price of corn skyrocket because of the ethanol boom. It just doesn't make senase that we would consume all the water and natural gas to produce energy when we could consume the corn as it is in it's natural state. The price of consumer goods / food are soaring because of this stupid goverment idea that we will be self suficient will oil? Wind power or nuclear are the way to go here!

let me see if I understand....they're proposing to pump water out of the "lake" that is he Olalla aquifier, send it through a pipeline, and pump the water back into the lake. and this is done to allow someone else to pump the water back out again. Are they so blinded by greed that they don't understand how ridiculous this is?

Living in Orange County and by now having recycled toilet water coming out of our taps, I don't see why corn can't enjoy the same lovely water we here in Orange County do.

We are more concerned about the short term rather than the long term, whether it be corn, oil or profits. A process needs to be put in place to plan for usage and growth. If we don???t pay attention to what we are doing, there will be many more who will pay for what the few are doing???stop looking at what it will cost in the short term to solve the problem and solve the problem. It will cost far less in the long run???

Cellulosic ethanol is NOT the "only real environmentally friendly, sustainable ethanol production method." In fact, corn stover's theoretical yield per dry ton of feedstock is 113.0 gallons. The corn yield is 124.4 gallons per dry ton (www1.eere.energy.gov). The assumptions of any claim of ethanol stability should be heavily investigated because any type of ethanol becomes less sustainable in regions requiring high fertilizer input and forced irrigation (i.e., out west). Perhaps we should take a look at conservation of energy... both thermodynamics and our own consumption of energy. Ethanol is marginal in Iowa, why on earth should we be producing it in Colorado?