Much of the discussion surrounding ethanol reminds me of the caution that we should not let the perfect be the enemy of the good -- that is we should not be too quick to reject a new idea simply because it does not, in its current form, completely solve a problem. (I've never been able to trace the origin of this advice. Can anybody out there help?)

Do we have a desparate need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, whether they come from finite domestic sources or politically sensitive international sources? Of course. Is ethanol, no matter what its source, a perfect solution? Of course not. But there is long and undeniable history that creating a marketplace leads to competition that leads to more efficient products and production techniques. (Look at the fossil fuel industry itself for a prime example. In the early 20th century, gasoline was considered a waste product of little or no value.)

Is current technology for producing ethanol incapable of change? Is there no possibility that automobiles could be retuned to run more efficiently on vegetable fuels? Can vegetable and fossil fuels be combined in a single tank? Might a new and potent market for vegetable fuels reduce the need for government subsidies of many agricultural products, in part by making alternate crops more profitable? If we don't find non-fossil alternatives, can we realistically hope to preserve the luxury of U.S. auto fuel prices that are far below those of other countries?

By all means, continue to challenge ethanol and force its proponents to solve the evident problems -- but don't reject the idea out of hand simply because it HAS problems at this relatively early stage.

One thing the writer of this piece left out was discussion on energy return on investment (EOI).
See <a href="http://www.news.cornell.­edu/stories/July05/ethanol.too­costly.ssl.html"Cornell ecologist's study finds that producing ethanol and biodiesel from corn and other crops is not worth the energy</a>

There should be a moratorium on corn ethanol plants. The rational is the promise of cellulosic fermentation. In the meantime, in Mexico, for example,where NAFTA first resulted in Mexican farmers losing our to cheap corn imports, there is unrest over high tortilla prices.