Ethanol usage started long ago when the search for alternatives to petroleum based fuels began as the result of oil shortages and the foreign dominance in the oil markets. The so called shortages really resulted from simple economics, the mid east could produce oil cheaper than any one else, so they dominated the market, and since the US was the wold's largest customer this gave inordinate power to that part of the world. The results of that have, as you know, had wide spread implications.
When I was in college back in the 80'a, I took a required class on World Environment. We were taught that that the decayed byproducts of ancient rain forests remained as oil deposits because the were not fully metabolized by microbes, resulting in a net oxygen surplus. In other words, if we were to find and burn all the oil in the world, that leftover O2 would be consumed and there would be a O2 deficit. This nonsense was prior to the invention of CO2 caused global warming, but the goal is the same – create a crisis that requires massive government intervention.
Ethanol started as a good idea, to solve a problem that did not really exist. If there is an oil shortage we should drill more wells. Using food for fuel when there is plenty of fuel and food prices are going up is stupid. If we have excess corn we should sell to nations that need it – hey, an export to help balance the trade deficit.
We need to challenge our representatives to explain WHY we need to blend ethanol into gasoline. I don't think a valid argument can be presented, but then, politics is seldom reasonable. The only benefit I can see is it can be used to buy votes in agriculture states and it can be used as a tool against the oil industry.
Doesn't Europe have E85? Welcome to the future.
