The Thirst For Ethanol
by Robert Russo
The Virginia landscape is changing, from the traditional farm crops of the 20th Century eaten off the cob and out of the shell, to mass production of the cheapest vegetable matter that forms the base of synthetic food and fuel. Where there was once peanuts, corn and soybeans have stood for some time now as the staple ingredients of nearly all processed snack foods and drinks. But now what was once the state of Iowa’s platform in the alternative fuel debate has finally reached Virginia’s ears, the reality of the corn-fed automobile.
This month’s issue of the Bay Journal covers the many facets of an ethanol state and the impact it will have on the Chesapeake Bay watershed, nitrogen runoff being the most serious. Nitrogen fertilizer is a major byproduct of corn production and the projected increase will effectively reverse the reduction of nitrogen in the bay over the past 22 years. With the price of corn double that of last fall, farmers will also be less inclined to submit to environmental requests to set aside buffer zones, instead putting every square foot to the plow (including grade B land where there is more runoff). "Most farmers are planting additional corn this year." says Maryland farmer Robert Hutchinson. "We’re just responding to the market."*
Alternative fuel is a great idea, it produces fewer greenhouse emissions and lessens our dependency on foreign oil. The nation manipulating our state to meet its fuel needs however is not the innocent self-sufficiency of one man growing his own fuel. "It’s not an agricultural revolution." says soil scientist Tom Simpson. "It is a gold rush fever."* What benefits one aspect of an industry in the short term only messes with the greater stability of our fragile agriculture. Imagine what would happen to our economy if cash suddenly had some other use so that its melt value was greater than its worth. Four centuries ago tobacco became "Virginia’s gold" and was given priority over food.
There are myths to consider about ethanol, the fact that its production is not significantly more environmental than gasoline, it has much lower mileage, and hurts the food industry particularly in poor countries if it goes global. I agree that advances in technology should not have to wait for convenience, but why not move straight to the next level where fuel can be made from raw cellulose? (With existing technology the same grass that makes up our riparian buffer zones could yield almost twice as much ethanol as corn.)* At any rate Virginia needs to take this into its own hands weighing all its effects on our state, not the uncontrolled manipulation of marketing. 20% of the nation’s corn harvest last year went into ethanol. Karl Blankenship’s articles in the Bay Journal can be read at www.bayjournal.com.
*http://www.bayjournal.com/
Question of the Week: Would you like to see a higher percentage of ethanol at the pump to offset the cost of gas? Would you invest in a vehicle that can run on mostly ethanol? Send your opinions to henrico@richmondliberty.org.
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