Ethanol Hoax - 20/20 & John Stossel

[Hawkeye6]

JL:

Gasohol was, IIRC, a mixture of gasoline and 10% alcohol. Its been around for quite a while and popular in some grain producing states.

As I understand it, the alcool on either gasohol, or ethanol (15% eth and 85% gas?) can do a number on an engine that is not designed for it. I don;t think its the pistons or valves that get hit, but a lot of the rubber or plasctic tubing,connectorsand parts in the fuel system can deteriorate from it.

Fabs:

Things are going crazy out in the midwest with building ethanol plants and bio-diesel plants. To a degreee, not a bad thing, but It just does not make much sense to me to be going into it this heavily.

We're diverting corn and soy-beans from food production into fuel. Its not going to lower fuel prices due to the inherent ineffiiencies and additional costs it puts into the system. But it will raise food prices over time.

In addition, we have a limited growing season in the US "breadbreadbasket". Maybe if they plan things right and mother nautre cooperates, some areas could force two crops in a season, but not most of the farmland. Seems like these palnts will be in a real feast or famine cycle during the course of the year. All the cornand soy-bean will be delivered in a 1-2 month time frame and then they will produce for how many months? Will they be able to stock-pile enough grain to produce year-round? Or will it be jsut the Fall for 2 or 4 months, maybe 6?