Awash in Unwanted Ethanol

Below is my letter to the New York Times regarding its story titled "U.S. Unlikely to Use the Ethanol Congress Ordered". Read it here.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/27/business/energy-environment/27ethanol.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Ethanol&st=cse

----- Original Message -----
From: Patrick Barron
To: NY Times
Sent: Sunday, November 29, 2009 4:45 PM
Subject: Ethanol


Re: Awash in Ethanol, 27Nov09

Dear Sirs:
There are several fallacious concepts that drove the ethanol mandates. Number one is that it is in the best interest of the U.S. to become more energy independent. There is no reason, either economic or otherwise, that requires that the U.S. government deny its citizens access to the cheapest form of energy available anywhere in the world, which includes, of course, many unexploited regions within our own borders. Furthermore, it is unconscionable that the government so blatantly penalize the vast majority of its citizens for the undeserved benefit of the farm lobby by using its power of compulsion and coercion to force us to use an inferior (ethanol delivers only three-fourths of the energy value of gasoline) and harmful fuel (as explained by Mr. Wald in his informative article). Scrap the ethanol mandates, allow drilling and refining anywhere in the U.S., and you will find that the so-called energy problem goes away.

Patrick Barron