Ethanol Support in Arizona
Posted: May 13, 2008
It’s nice to see support from ethanol coming from areas outside the Midwest.
This commentary appeared this week in the Tuscon (AZ) Citizen, written by Colleen Crowinshield, Clean Cities manager for the Pima Association of Governments (PAG).
Colleen takes on the popular arguments against ethanol, from the difference between food and field grade corn to the net energy balance. She talks about the ever-increasing cost and demand for fossil fuels and the benefits of ethanol to rural communities.
Did you know that an average of one farmer a day retires due to lack of crop demand? Does that mean that by increasing the demand for ethanol, we might be giving these farmers their livelihood back? That’s a bad thing?
Domestically produced fuels bring jobs and money back to our communities, right here in the United States. That’s good for everyone.
She also rightly notes that ethanol is just part of the solution to our energy independence.
With a barrel of oil costing more than $120 and rising each day, we must do something to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil. Alternative fuels, fuel economy, hybrid vehicles and simply conserving, car pooling, riding the bus, riding a bike, and reducing the number of weekly trips to the grocery store are a step in the right direction.
Dakota Lifestyle: Beyond the Weather Said,
May 13, 2008 @ 4:13 pm
What do you think about Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer’s assertion that biofuels only account for about three percent of the rising cost of food?
I think it echoes what the economic analysts are saying–energy costs are the big contributor to the growing food bill. When the price of a barrel of oil continues to rise, food prices will continue to rise. Check out some of the studies on http://www.ncga.com under our Food and Fuels facts section.