A Logical Solution from Trustworthy Sources? It is Possible

What advice do retired generals and admirals have for federal officials looking to improve national security?  If you want a safer tomorrow for Americans, start fueling more cars with ethanol today.

According to a report released by a nonprofit research organization on the findings of the Military Advisory Board, reducing our oil consumption by 30 percent through the use of biofuels “would significantly improve security and economics by decreasing deficits, preserving capital for job creation and increase energy reserves.”

This finding, and the report in general, provide solid support for an idea that already seems logical to most Americans.  Over the past decades, it has become painfully obvious that the U.S. addiction to cheap foreign oil creates problems.  From the need to continually interact with unstable, even hostile, regimes to an untenable vulnerability to the whims of a cartel-controlled market, everyday people here suffer because they do not have simple, readily available ways to fuel their cars on something besides oil.

In the report, released in October, this panel concludes that the obvious would be effective.  If imported oil exposes the United States to myriad risks, grow a reliable, sustainable alternative at home.  U.S. farmers, working with a robust biofuels industry, could actually harvest security.

Given that ethanol production has already tripled since 2005, our nation’s corn growers have demonstrated their ability to supply a growing market.  Actually, the report itself even notes the efficiency gains in biotechnology, coupled with yield gains, could continually increase the amount of oil biofuels could displace.

Regulators, bureaucrats and politicians may not be the best sources for unbiased information, but retired military leaders certainly understand national security and can be relied upon to put the national interest ahead of their own.  Sometimes a solution is simple.  Harness the power of our land. Harness the power of our people.  Grow a country that is self-reliant and secure.