Ethanol in Trouble
There’s rhetoric from almost every person in this country demanding that we achieve energy independence. What about ethanol. Is that real fuel or an enemic additive to make us feel better about ourselves.
Here’s Jim Sturdevant, scientist and Director of a huge ethanol program: “There is right now in our nation a 10% regulatory cap which means a gallon of gasoline can be mixed with 10% ethanol. That can go higher without any kind of detrimental effect to engines and automobile companies are with us on this…we just need to increase that cap which will increase then the demand for ethanol which will help the whole ethanol industry.”
But many ethanol plants are in trouble and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says he's looking at ways that the USDA can help the struggling ethanol industry.
(Vilsack)”I’ve asked my staff to take a look at the opportunities that I would have as Secretary of Agriculture to make sure that we keep that vital industry intact.”
But Vilsack said even with help from the feds, some ethanol producers won’t survive.
(Vilsack) “Those who are most efficient at managing production facilities will be successful and will survive but those who are not will have a difficult time.”
The Secretary says that second and third generation efforts to extract ethanol from bio-mass don’t make sense until we embrace this whole technology.
