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 Editorials | Opinions | May 2008 
"Corn Ethanol is a Scam" and 11 Other Quotes About Ethanol
 Gediminas J. - HotStocked.com
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"Increased demand for bio-fuels... could drive up world prices for many farm products." --U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as reported by Reuters, put it more strongly, saying that ethanol production, as supported by a new U.S. energy law, will result in higher food prices and starvation.
"People literally will starve to death in parts of the world, it always happens when food prices go up... Terrorists kill people, weapons of mass destruction have the potential to kill enormous numbers of people, global warming has the potential to kill everybody. This [raising of food prices by ethanol production] is really just as lethal - it's just that the results are something we will face long term." -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg
However, the terrorism card has already been played by advocates of ethanol:
"American farmers, by making the commitment to grow more corn for ethanol, are at the top of the spear on the war against terrorism." --former CIA director James Woolsey
Washington leaders put forth a new law in December to ramp up ethanol usage between now and 2022. New York Mayor Bloomberg said the law is biased towards corn ethanol, by subsidizing it, and against sugar ethanol, by taxing it. Probably not coincidentally, corn ethanol is mostly a domestic U.S. product, while sugar ethanol is mostly imported from Brazil. However, sugar ethanol is considerably more efficient in terms of energy out for energy invested.
"Corn ethanol is a scam." --Wal van Lierop, CEO of Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital
Bloomberg's criticism of the bias towards corn ethanol and against sugar ethanol was echoed by Richard Branson, head of Virgin Group, who agreed that sugar ethanol was preferable to corn ethanol, and America should grow food and leave the sugar ethanol production to countries like Brazil.
"I think if America got rid of the importation duty on sugar-based ethanol, that's what would happen [- America would produce food, while others would produce ethanol -] and I think the world would benefit from that." --Richard Branson of Virgin Group
Earlier this year, in a series of scathing anti-Bush essays, Fidel Castro was an early leader of the battle cry against corn ethanol.
"Transforming food into fuels is a monstrosity... [It is] killing the poor masses through hunger." --Fidel Castro
Although Fidel's rhetoric was strong, his sentiments were reflected by others:
"Castro was right." --The Economist
Others, especially many from Iowa, have a different viewpoint:
"Everything about ethanol is good, good, good." --Senator Chuck Grassley, Iowa
Responding to the good senator's quote, an article in Rolling Stone magazine said:
"This is not just hype - it's dangerous, delusional bullshit. Ethanol doesn't burn cleaner than gasoline, nor is it cheaper. Our current ethanol production represents only 3.5 percent of our gasoline consumption - yet it consumes twenty percent of the entire U.S. corn crop, causing the price of corn to double in the last two years and raising the threat of hunger in the Third World." --Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone Magazine (issue 1032)
These concerns were echoed recently by the UK's Environmental Audit Committee (EAC):
"Biofuels can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from road transport - but at present most biofuels have a detrimental impact on the environment overall." --EAC Chairman Tim Yeo
"...a large biofuel industry based on current technology is likely to increase food prices and could damage food security in developing countries." --EAC
Finally, since most of the quotes have been from those opposed to corn ethanol, one of the biggest advocates of corn ethanol will have the last word:
"Ethanol is good for our rural communities. It's good economic development for rural America. You know, new bio-refinery construction creates jobs and local tax revenues. When the family farmer's doing well, it's good for the local merchants."
"Ethanol is good for the environment. ..."
"Ethanol's good for the whole country." --George W. Bush |
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