Hidden costs

POL 213--The winning car in this year’s Indianapolis 500 race was completely fueled by ethanol for the first time in the history of the race. The evidence that corn fuel can perform on a level equal to traditional gasoline is plain, and leaves hope for farmers and politicians that it will soon replace traditional sources of fuel in the race to gain independence from foreign oil.
As an Indiana native, I know from personal experience the effects on the local economy that this switch would have. Farmers such as my uncle and grandpa would be motivated to plant more of their fields and fallow land with the corn or soybeans that the market required. Prices would jump, as indeed they already have. My small county has already experienced a tremendous economic boost, as three huge processing and refining companies have moved into the area and are in the process of constructing gigantic facilities to accommodate the local crops. New companies mean jobs, revenue, and a desperately needed positive forecast for the future.
However, the tradeoffs that America is facing as we continue to pour resources into this market are somewhat hidden. The fervor surrounding the possible reduction in emissions and subsequent benefits to the environment has limited testing the effects of ethanol content in fuel. At this point, legislation limits ethanol content to 10% of a gallon of gasoline. They are considering raising this limit to 20%, but have spent very little on testing anything other than air emissions. For an engine, the alcohol content wears the plastic and rubber parts at an extremely high rate. For small car and motorcycle engines, the risks could be tremendous!

Perhaps a better option would be to invest in the newer field of cellulosic ethanol, made of plant materials. The most efficient option would be algae, with its possibility to produce over 5,000 gallons of biofuel per acre contrasted with corn producing around 300 gallons of ethanol in a year.¹ If we were to back the preliminary research now being conducted, perhaps our government wouldn’t need to subsidize oil tycoons, Alaskan pipelines, or corn ethanol. Indiana has a few lakes and bogs in addition to its cornfields!

¹ Bourne, Joel K. Jr. “Green Dreams.” National Geographic October 2007: 38-59