Etha-not!

Biofuels Cannot Quench America's Thirst for Gasoline

by Karsten Lunde

I never was much for NASCAR. It’s not that I don’t consider it a legitimate sport, or appreciate all the long hours, sweat and tears that go into every team, every season. It’s just that I find it dull and monotonous. I’d rather just sit outside and watch the neighbor’s dog poop in the yard.

The reason I’m even talking about NASCAR is because the Daytona 500 is two weekends away. What innovations will come this year? The recent past has seen the launch of restrictor plates, the media-hyped entry of Toyota racecars, and the use of E-85 ethanol fuel. Of all the modern forms of alternative energy, ethanol-based biofuels are the best short-term, but worst long-term, solution to our unhealthy addiction to oil and gas. Not to mention our reliance on foreign suppliers.

E-85 (a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) has become slightly more available around the country, and here in Lawrence will be readily available upon completion of Zarco’s new E-85 filling station at 9th and Iowa Streets. Although better for the environment than, say, emptying boxfuls of plastic bags into the Kansas River, or burning pure petrol, E-85 is not a feasible long-term solution to our dependence on oil.

Ethanol is produced mainly with corn, sugarcane and switchgrass. Additionally, according to the Saskatchewan Eco Network (www.econet.sk.ca), “some operations integrate existing industrial processes and ethanol production by making use of “waste” feedstocks such as potato, waste cheese whey, brewery waste….” Seems innocent enough, right? But wait, isn’t there something else we use plants for? Oh yeah, FOOD! Alone, biofuels are not the answer. On the surface it may seem like sunshine and rainbows, but lurking deep beneath the surface are air quality issues, water supply and quality issues, energy consumption issues, and the fact that ethanol production can be directly linked to intensive livestock operations. Plus we must remember there is only so much land. So the choice is ours—food for our bellies or fuel for our cars.

Now is the time for lawmakers to act. Maybe create some sort of X-Prize for innovative fuel technology. Society must mandate change. Push technology to its limit to find a cure for our gluttonous disease. But until the day comes when Mr. Fusion units are on every car on Earth, we will have to settle for Ethanol.

Karsten Lunde is a radio disc jockey in Lawrence, Kansas. Visit his personal Web site at http://karsten.lunde.net or check out Lawrence's X-92.9 online at www.x929.com.

E-mail: Karsten@x929.com