Governors say ethanol needs a supplement
They sometimes have different priorities in reaching this conclusion — priorities that can be as simple as who grows corn and who feeds it to livestock. And they're also not talking about replacement so much as supplementing: using switchgrass or wood waste products, for example, along with corn.
Still, the conversation — including an energy forum Sunday — has big implications. The nation has 134 ethanol plants in 26 states with 77 more under construction or expanding, according to the Renewable Fuels Association, a trade group for the ethanol industry
This year's corn crop, expected to be a record, is worth about $52 billion.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department says economic growth in developing countries, tight global grain supplies and demand for ethanol have pushed corn prices to record or near-record prices. That in turn has led some to blame the push for ethanol on high food prices.
Disagreeing sharply, the ethanol industry and corn growers point the finger at record fuel prices driving up the cost of growing and shipping food.
The current buzz is cellulosic ethanol, or ethanol made from plant matter. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm pitched the idea Sunday of using more wood products because of the large number of forests in the state. Detroit News
[Editor's Note: Start cutting down trees to make ethanol and watch how fast the tree huggers come out and say "over our dead bodies you will." A few decades of ethanol production will leave the USA's land looking like that of the Middle East – barren wasteland stripped clean of all vegetation.]