Since we have emission standards, it probably
won't increase lung disease or cancer. But it also may not decrease
the diseases. That is not the point in using ethanol. Cutting
down on Oil use is the reason one looks into ethanol, solar, wind, coal
etc,
The reason some countries have made
ethanol madatory is becaues it is re-newable and cleaner burning when
compared to oil.
We should use subsidies to help out for
finding and using re-newable sources of all kinds. But lets try
to slow down the subsidies to the middle-eastern oil tycoons.
The price of oil is the main reason of
the high costs of most foods.
Ethanol has been around for years.
We have been able to buy it for years for our cars. And finally, in
our area every major gas company has gone 100%. That is all we can
buy. And we thank them for that. Have been asking and wanting
that for close to 10 years. Took high oil prices to get it
though.
As far as corn. Corn will be a very
small part of ethanol in the near future. To many other things and
better things to use.
The price of oil and gas, along with
floods and droughts will have the major impacts on our food prices.
Ethanol is a part of the whole package.
There was ethanol used and stations that
offered ethanol when oil was under $20 a barrell. Just more demand now
that oil is over $100.
Biofuels should be a major part of our
future has it has been a part in the resent past. It can be a lower
cost, re-newable, cleaner fuel for now and into the future.
Untill we work and find ways to do something
better. Biofuels was one of the anrtest and best things to happen over
the past 20 or so years. Just wasn't push quick enough and far
enough. We waited untill oil was over $100.
As usuall many problems to figure
out. Nothing new in that.
I am like many 100% behind the biofuels
untill we come up with something better. Wish we could stop using oil
tommorrow and be able to use 100% biofuels untill better stuff comes
along. But, I believe the most we can use now is 20% mixture. So
we are now using 10% to 15% mixture.
Lets hope the future is good for
all.
----- Origina
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2008 4:14
PM
Subject: Re: [RT] Just some water,
gas, ethanol stuff for a sunday read
According to what I have read, (sources available on request), bio
fuels are no safer for the environment and will likely increase the rates
of lung disease and cancer.
Without subsidies, it would cost $4.50 a gallon to produce and that
does not include the huge increases in grains if we were to do a major
switch to bio fuels.
The affects on our foodstuffs will be even more dramatic as grain and
meat products sail higher and higher due to grain being syphoned off for
fuel.
In summary, what ethanol is, is a higher cost product that pollutes
at least as bad as fossil fuels and costs more to produce plus raises food
prices at every level. Farmers love it of course but I know many of
them and they are planning for a short term spike in prices because they
tell me that not even in America can government be so stupid as to believe
bio fuels are anything less than a whole new set of problems at a higher
cost to the people.
Bob
On Sun, Jul 20, 2008 at 11:42 AM, LB <
nsite@xxxxxxxxxxxcom> wrote:
If we can figure a way to go all
ethanol or at least 50-50. Things would be better for
all. Now in our area we are all E-85 and working
great.
Some perspective on water use
Here are some numbers on water use taken from the US Geological
survey and from the US Environmental Protection Agency fondly
known as the EPA. The Anti-ethanol crowd loves to pound us on
water usage-----here are some facts/comparisons on water usage in US.
>62,000 gallons of water per ton of manufactured steel
>39,090 gallons of water to manufacture a new car/tires.
>28,100 gallons to process a ton of beet sugar
>1,500 gallons to process a barrel of beer (I've heard a
lot of good reports about this beverage and may have to try it
sometime)
>107,000 gallons used in the average home each year
>24 gallons used to produce a pound of plastic
>101 gallons to produce a pound of cotton
>300 million gallons used each day to print US
newspapers---150 gallon per Sunday paper
>3 gallons of water used per gallon of ethanol
produced.
Also, In aggregate, corn returns more moisture to the atmosphere than
it withdraws from ground and surface water. The entire US corn
crop is returning nearly 290 billion gallons of water per day to
the atmosphere through transpiration. (The process by
which water vapor escapes from the living plant, principally the leaves,
and enters the atmosphere.)
Comparing Energy to Energy
Gasoline
Did you know it takes 23 per cent more fossil
energy to create a gallon of gasoline than that gallon of gasoline
itself contains?
Ethanol
Did you know it takes 22 per cent less fossil
energy to create an equivalent amount of energy in ethanol?
An added plus is that the higher octane in ethanol allows it to burn
more completely, therefore cleaner.
In either case, it is all about converting one form of energy
to another that is useable and in demand in the market
place.