Good article in NYT today, about what a WASTE it is to grow corn for ethanol, as I’ve been ranting about for YEARS.

 Not only is it a terrible waste of precious water, as the farmers suck the Ogalala aquifer dry, but every ear of corn wasted on ethanol is an ear of corn that doesn’t feed anyone, while using more energy to produce than it generates, when all phases, including fertilizer and transportation are factored in.

BUT, it is high quality political pork, to be doled out for votes, and all politicians do it, especially since the primaries start in Iowa, and everyone knows we gotta suck up to the Iowa corn growers.

It’s just such a waste, but I can’t see it ever changing….

What makes corn-based ethanol distinct from most of our other wasteful agricultural giveaways is that it diverts crops from bellies to fuel tanks and uses as much or more fossil fuel — from fertilizers made of natural gas to diesel tractors, industrial refineries and other sources — as the ethanol replaces, while diverting millions of acres of food producing land.