The Erroneousness of Ethanol

By Nick Van Eck, Editor
6/19/2008

A favorite talking point among candidates for state positions Monday was the gasoline alternative ethanol. One of the most transparent panders of our time, ethanol is certainly not the solution to our energy crisis, and may even do more harm than good. Ethanol cannot be pipelined like gasoline because it picks up impurities. Therefore, it has to be taken by truck across nations, leaving a carbon footprint that may exceed the pollution that it prevents. Additionally, overproduction of ethanol has indirectly precipitated food crises across farming regions by offering higher prices for large amounts of corn.

A number of Boys State citizens have expressed frustration about the fact that, while information about ethanol is widely attainable, candidates continued to cite specious information about the fuel without recourse. Many of these people do not have the power to stop this pestilence. However, those who wrongly claimed ethanol to be an environmental magic pill do have the power. Hopefully such misinformation will not pass through our courts untouched.

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