The issue of ethanol fuel is not as simple as politicians would have us believe:

1.    Ethanol is not a clean burning fuel. Moreover, an engine’s emissions on ethanol are more toxic than the same engine produces fuelled with gasoline.

2.    Adding ethanol to gasoline will not reduce gasoline prices. Ethanol is considerably more costly than gasoline and must be subsidized before it can hope to compete at the pump. Personally, I object to any fuel subsidy. We should pay for the entire cost of a fuel at the pump, not through our taxes.

3.    Any benefit to the rural community is highly selective. Corn producers may be profiting, but dairy, pig, beef and poultry producers – to name a few – are horrified at the increase in their feed costs.

Finally, I object to the “nimby” sentiment. Just because only three to four rural residents may be harmed or endangered by the presence of an ethanol plant nearby doesn’t make it acceptable. In the 21st century, any manufacturing facility must be clean and safe enough to locate in a city, or it should not be built.