OPINION:
“Ethanol cuts dependence, pollution” (Letters, Oct. 24) is the usual tripe from a paid lobbyist of the ethanol industry. Invoking the late President Reagan was, I presume, meant to garner some support from Republicans, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Ethanol is just another example of crony capitalism run amok. If the real goal were energy independence, we would avail ourselves of our natural gas supply, which easily could replace all of the coal-fired power plants in this country. We also could avail ourselves of new horizontal drilling technology for oil on federal lands. Instead, we have opted for a big agri-payoff for a substandard fuel.
Ethanol has about two-thirds the energy content of gasoline. The net effect is to lower your gas mileage. The oft-quoted anti-knock benefit of ethanol could be accomplished at a fraction of what is being added to gasoline blends. The recent honeybee depletion is thought to result from treatment of crops with systemic pesticides. As you scale up the production of agriculture for fuel production instead of food, this is the result.
Letter writer John R. Block’s approach to energy independence results in food dependence in other parts of the world. If you do not believe this, check out the source of your produce in the local supermarket.
The effect of ethanol on global temperatures or even climatic events, cannot even be quantified. The claim of energy independence is so ridiculous there is no reason to attempt to quantify it, given the alternatives. However, the effect of ethanol on the ethanol lobby’s fat wallets sure can be quantified.
SAMUEL BURKEEN
Reston
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