Seemed like a good idea to replace fossil fuels with renewable fuels. Environmental groups predicted better air quality, fewer CO2 emissions, and more. Ethanol made from corn is the most common bio fuel and it's required by law to be added to gasoline in the U.S.
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But all first generation biofuels [like ethanol] ultimately compete with food production for land, water, and other resources." And that's the problem, according to this author, and why he advocates for a reversal of the ethanol mandate.
"[D]espite our reverence for the Great Plains and the fragile ecosystem of the grasslands, more and more of this majestic landscape is being converted to corn production for purely political reasons. We should know better, but the onslaught of man, machine and agriculture on what little is left unspoiled seems relentless."
(cont'd tomorrow)
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