Democracy for Vancouver

I remember first hearing about ethanol as a possible way of buying more time for our SUV, drive-through lifestyle and had my own doubts. Sounds like more people are, too:

Exposing the Corn-Based Ethanol Hoax as a Solution to Peak Oil

Corn lobby’s tall tale of a gas substitute
America is swooning over ethanol, the renewable fuel which, in the US, is derived from corn. President Bush predicts ethanol will replace gasoline. Congress has mandated nearly doubling its production. But so far, ethanol is more politics than promise.

Over the next five years, $5.7 billion in federal tax credits will support the ethanol market - a boon to Midwest corn growers who are certainly no hayseeds when it comes to lobbying members of Congress.

But just what do US taxpayers get in return for these silo-sized subsidies? A renewable biofuel that reduces greenhouse-gas emissions, yes, and a safe substitute for dangerous gasoline additives. Overall, though, the net energy gain from corn-based ethanol is modest, and there are serious issues to consider in making it widely available at America’s gas stations. Currently, it accounts for just 3 percent of the nation’s fuel.

Supporters of corn-based ethanol promote it as one way to cure America’s fossil-fuel addiction. That’s an exaggeration as high as an elephant’s eye. The libertarian Cato Institute says it takes the equivalent of seven barrels of oil to produce eight barrels of corn-derived ethanol. Argonne National Laboratory, which studies ethanol for the Department of Energy, is more generous: for each unit of energy to grow, process, and transport corn ethanol, it yields 1.35 units of energy.

True, this high-octane fuel gives engines a kick, but it gets significantly lower miles per gallon, necessitating more frequent fill-ups. Ethanol’s also more expensive than gasoline, and, as a blend, contributes to its high price.

Read more.

I also remember hearing somewhere that growing corn (they were talking about the food grade type, but we can assume there’s a negligible difference) takes an insane amount of nutrients out of the soil per bushel. How long would it take to render a formerly arable region into an arid dustbowl?
We would probably grow the bulk of it in Latin America, where land and labor is cheap - but:

By putting pressure on global supplies of
edible crops, the surge in ethanol production will translate into higher prices
for both processed and staple foods around the world. Biofuels have tied oil and
food prices together in ways that could profoundly upset the relationships between
food producers, consumers, and nations in the years ahead, with potentially devastating
implications for both global poverty and food security.(link)

Why not look at modifying our lifestyles or modes of transportation?