Maybe Now We Can Get Rid Of Ethanol

Ethanol has made for good politics in Iowa, but it's terrible for the economy. Nevertheless, politicians continued to hype ethanol as the answer to all out energy and environmental woes.

Except, it's not. In fact, it's far worse for the environment than fossil fuels.

[I]ncredibly, when the hidden costs of conversion are included, greenhouse-gas emissions from corn ethanol over the next 30 years will be twice as high as from regular gasoline. In the long term, it will take 167 years before the reduction in carbon emissions from using ethanol "pays back" the carbon released by land-use change. As they say, it's not easy being green.

Maybe now we can start down a more sensible road.