GoodFuels

Corn Ethanol Opens Doors To Other Alternative Fuels

Bill Northey, an Iowa farmer, explains to Iowa Farmer Today that the recent flooding in Iowa and Illinois and the subsequent rise in corn prices is a prime example of America’s need for diversity in our energy options.

It’s the same lesson we learned when Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast. When we are dependent on one source for our energy, one disruption can have a dramatic effect on prices.

So, rather than walking away from a viable alternative to petroleum, the real message is we need to continue working to diversify our nation’s energy supply.

Also, in addition to making an immediate difference in the price you pay at the pump, corn ethanol is a vital step for America’s segue towards energy independence.

Corn ethanol is opening doors that eventually cellulosic ethanol and other petroleum fuel alternatives will walk through. If the rug is pulled out from ethanol, the result is very likely to be a reluctance to invest in the developing technologies that are needed to bring the next generation of renewable fuels technologies online.

The other factor in the equation is if we continue to let oil prices increase exponentially and abandon alternatives, food prices could go up even more.

Check out Iowa Farmer Today to read the rest of the article.