OPINION:
The notion that burning more food for fuel, which is what President Biden is advocating in his promotion of more corn-based ethanol, is a net positive for America ignores the basics of energy economics (“Biden to suspend ban on higher-ethanol gasoline to lower prices,” Web, April 12). As far back as 1998 the late Dr. David Pimentel of Cornell University chaired a U.S. Department of Energy panel to investigate the economics of ethanol production. The panel found that 131,000 British Thermal Units were required to produce a single gallon of ethanol, which only produced 77,000 BTUs when burned. That is a net energy loss of 54,000 BTUs per gallon.
Pimentel concluded his report by saying that if all the automobiles in the U.S. were fueled by ethanol, 97% of America’s land area would have to be devoted to growing corn. And that was in 1998. Imagine what is would be today.
TOM HARRIS
Executive director, International Climate Science Coalition
Ottawa, Ontario
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