Ethanol is touted as the leading alternative fuel.  The use of which will be "good for the American farmer" and "Fuel we can grow at home."  But, what are the facts? 

          To make one gallon of alcohol fuel we need to mix seven gallons of corn mash with yeast.  Depending on temperature the fermentation will be complete in about a week and contain about 15% alcohol and at the point where alcohol poisons yeast's ability to convert sugars to alcohol.  During this time we have to keep the mixture warm and that takes energy from  burning something.  There are variables, but heating will take several thousand kilocalories per seven gallons however we do it.

          The alcohol is separated from water by distillation.  If the mixture is at room temperature, 20 degrees Celsius, it is heated to 78 degrees Celsius to vaporize alcohol.  For seven liters of mash we need at least 406 kilocalories.  Then we need another 13,545 kilocalories to vaporize alcohol for a total of 13,951 kilocalories for one gallon of product.

Burning one gallon of alcohol produces about 15,000 kilocalories.  The process yields less energy than we have put into it to ferment and distill the fuel assuming 100% efficiency and not including the energy used in planting, watering, fertilizing,  harvesting, grinding corn, pumping water and making mash as that varies greatly.

There is no method where alcohol fuel is self-sustaining.  We will always put more fuel energy into it than we receive.  >From where is that to come?  Oil, coal, nuclear?  This question was not asked by government scientists when the numb noggins were designing this fiasco.  Even more stunning is the fact that our entire corn crop could only supply 1/8th of our motor fuel needs while destroying the livestock feeding and corn food products industries.

Ethanol was a bad idea from the beginning, but no government scientist dared to speak up about it because US Senator Grassley thought it was a good idea.  Senator Grassley has never been accused of being bent over double with smarts.  And, federal white coats have no spines.  Why does any country ever fear America?  Maybe Reverand Wright was right.

          Petroleum will long be our best usable energy.  It is readily available in some of the world if we have the resolve to fight for it.  In the future we will have the best sources of it in our offshore, Alaskan and Gulf of Mexico drillings to say nothing of our tar sands oil shales and 900 years worth of coal.  The chemistry for converting coal was perfected in Germany during WWII and now improved on by the Renteck corporation.  We can be on top again if we stop listening to the stupid people in Washington, DC.

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