Noticias
y campañas
de la OCA
en español
For the past quarter-century, U.S. energy policy has been generally non-existent. To the extent there has been one, it has been to keep gasoline cheap. But one element stands out as a dramatic exception to this minimalist approach. Through a series of generous tax subsidies and production mandates, the use of corn-based ethanol has soared.
Already, some 23% of the American corn crop goes into ethanol. In acreage, that's equivalent to the combined farm land of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware. In 14 years, under current federal mandates, about 40% of America's corn crop would be heading for its gas tanks.
The more and more ethanol that's produced, however, the less and less it looks like a solution.
Ethanol hasn't prevented gas prices from topping $4 a gallon. Instead, the diversion of so much corn into fuel has contributed to rising prices for everything from corn oil to beef. Overseas, higher food costs are increasing hunger and generating political instability.
Turning America's breadbasket into a fuel pump, it seems, is looking like one of the dumbest ideas of recent years.
Full Story: http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080725/
edit25.art.htm
