Originally Posted by Sungod18

I would question the report that puts the cost that high?

Regardless the US would not be sole power in an ethanol world. Canada as well as Ukraine would give the US a run for the title as breadbasket. Others like Brazil with its sugarcane would sell their crop as another way to produce mass amounts of the stuff.

I guess the only difference would be rather than being a primary importer we would become an exporter in an ethanol driven planet. Might help to reverse the years of corrupt establishment policy from both parties. Might help increase the value of the dollar abroad as well!

Ethanol might not be planet saving but it would save the US dollar and our economy. We might become a nation with a strong production economy rather than a service one.

Originally Posted by giantquesadilla

Although it may not be factored into our budget, I think that we can see a rise in gas prices because of it. Not necessarily because the war has driven up the cost of a barrel of oil, but because the war gives the gas companies something to blame their significant increases in prices on. At the gas station 4 miles down from me, 91 is 3.89 and diesel is 3.95. 10.1 more cents...

edit: actually it has come closer to 4 in the past, but that was quite a while ago

Originally Posted by mmrmnhrm

Unless you can find something with a much higher sugar content than corn, or produce it using far less intensive processes, ethanol's a sham. Don't buy into the hype.

Originally Posted by arbittan

Unfortuately the process to create Ethanol causes more emmisions than regular gas. Conversely, the NiMH batteries in our car cause more environmental impact due to how they are manufactured, where they are manufactured and disposal of spent batteries.....

There really isn't a true clean way for us to save our environment unless we all use public transportation and public transportation switches to solar/hybrid technology.

Even Hydrogen based cars aren't the cleaness cars out there.. The process to create Hydrogen is also enviromentally stressing.

Hopefully we can find "Earth 2.0" soon we will need it!!

Originally Posted by zo6 2 hch

Ethanol is a total hype. First of all the amount of arable land required and secured by deforestation for massive amounts of corn we would need to sustain this source of energy would totally offset the slightly lower Co2 emissions from Ethanol.

The amount of energy required to cultivate the corn would be more than the energy we would get from it, with fertilizers, irrigation, harvesting and transportation of the corn to and from facilities in which it would be converted into ethanol.

This is a combination of GM's last ditch effort to save itself from bankruptcy, also attempting to change its image into a more eco-friendly one amidst the Hummer, Corvette, and Escalade line.

The federal govt is definetely interested in creating technology that other countries may adopt and then rely on the U.S., the bread basket of the world, for energy to utilize those technologies.

The real deal is were running out of oil, we hit peak and we got until 2030 until were completely out. Now really take a moment and realize what this means.

This is why were in Afghanistan and Iraq, this is why we not only let the events of 911 happen as we needed another "pearl harbor" to get us there, and this is why we havent pulled out of there even though %70 of the citizens of this country want us out, even as the cost of this war approaches $600,000,000,000.