Cost of Producing Ethanol Rising

It would be great if ethanol becomes a good alternative fuel but there are growing concerns about the economics and benefits. One of the problems is that fossil fuels are currently heavily used in the production of ethanol. And the costs of producing ethanol are rising. Gristmill has the story:

That's right: The oil-based products and services used to raise everyone's favorite "alternative fuel" are getting more expensive.

How does Big Ag want to respond to this crisis?

Earlier this month, Iowa agribusiness leaders called on the U.S. Congress to loosen restrictions on oil and natural gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. law prohibits exploration of fields within 200 miles of the Gulf Coast. The newly formed Iowa Consumer Alliance for Energy Security wants Congress to change that.

"High energy costs are a hardship on all of us," Heartland Cooperative's Coppess said during a May 9 press conference at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines. The group is part of a national coalition pushing for increased domestic production of energy sources. Iowans involved in the effort are calling for passage of a bill pending in the U.S. Senate that would allow production inside the 200-mile barrier. [Des Moines Register]

Oh, the delicious bitter irony! The feedstock for everyone's favorite alternative fuel can't be grown without oil and natural gas. So rising demand for that liquid-fuel alternative is raising demand for ... the very liquid fuels it's an alternative too.

I'm for whatever solutions work but it sounds like those who push ethanol are a long ways from solving all the problems. The purpose of ethanol is to provide an alternative to fossil fuels, not to stimulate more fossil fuel production that leads to Global Warming, more pollution and more dependency on foreign oil. Eventually ethanol may be the solution, but it looks like there's a major need to go back to the drawing board.