The New York Times tells us that the boom in corn-based ethanol is going bust.
Just a couple of weeks ago I wrote on this blog about ethanol:
"Not that I'm a glass-empty person, but you have to wonder where this is all headed, given that boom-and-bust has been seen in rural America before, and that even with sufficient rainfall, corn-growing and ethanol-making requires a lot of water and energy as inputs."
The future in ethanol fuels rests in so-called cellulosic, fiberous plants, including grasses, even wood chips, which require far less water, fertilizer and energy to produce.
And from all I've heard it costs more energy to produce corn ethanol than it yields. Who's doing that arithmentic? The Iowa farmers who have the ear of policians trying to win their caucus?
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