Steve Grasz penned a commentary that appeared in one of the state's newspapers recently. The National Corn Growers also received permission to publish it -- click here to view. He is a partner in the law firm of Husch Blackwell Sanders in Omaha, Nebraska. He served as chief deputy Nebraska attorney general from 1991 to 2002 and has a wide-ranging background in agriculture.
Grasz does a great job outlining several ethanol myths...
But here's his conclusion:
America needs ethanol now, more than ever. The U.S. imports 62 percent of its petroleum supply and this is projected to increase to 77 percent by 2025. Oil production is declining in many areas of the world. The last time a new oil refinery was built in the U.S. was over 30 years ago. Taxpayers spend billions of dollars each year on military expenditures to protect our foreign oil supply while Congress refuses to expand domestic drilling for environmental reasons. In contrast, ethanol is made from renewable resources we grow right here in the U.S. Its use reduces our dependence on imported oil. The U.S. ethanol industry will have the capacity to produce 10 billion gallons in 2008.
The idea that people must choose between food and ethanol is a false and dangerous premise. The critics need to be called to account. The next time you hear or read that ethanol production is starving children overseas or causing food prices to soar, consider the all-time record amounts of corn being exported from the United States or the fact that doubling the price of corn raises the cost of a box of corn flakes by less than 4 cents – and think again.
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