Good article

[AndreF]

http://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/e85 ... -test.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Rawleigh]

We are really coming ahead now!!

[PeterPalmieri]

So based on this article it doesn't produce less CO2 emissions and falls short on MPG cost, besides the fact that it's made in the USA is there another benefit?

[mike ohlstein]

Even that's not a benefit, Peter. The issue is way too big to properly discuss on a BB, but here are a few of the issues.

1. It doesn't work without huge government subsidies, so we're paying much more for it than you think.
2. The shift away from growing other crops toward growing corn for fuel makes those other crops less abundant and thereby more expensive. This is already showing up as higher global flour prices for those who can least afford it.
3. As corn becomes more profitable to grow for fuel, even less arable land is put into production. This reduces habitat for wildlife and natural space for humans.
4. It puts our energy production into the hands of the rain gods.
5. E-fuels just plain suck. They're highly corrosive, very dangerous to transport, and have a shelf life that's measured in weeks rather than months or years. They absorb water like it's going out of style, and I wouldn't be greatly surprised if the next big scandal turns out to be that gas station owners are dumping water into their fuel tanks and selling it to us as gas.

[In Memory Walter K]

It is one of the biggest scams ever perpetrated on the American public. Passed as the result of the Farm lobby, representatives and senators of the "corn states" and the need of the Congress to "feel good" about addressing our dependence on foreign oil. It gives the fuel a shelf life- 90 days, 10% less mileage and destroys older engine gaskets, seals and hoses. ALL engines-your weed whacker, blower, lawnmower, outboard etc. It has caused less land usage for other crops, thus driving up the cost of grains, cattle and poultry feed. Just look at grocery costs since the introduction of Ethanol. It strips soil of it's nutrients and makes increasing demands on water sources. It's a set-up for a future dust bowl. The farmers subsidy for growing it keeps it going. Even on Long Island I can show you corn fields that have never been harvested and stand on fields into the entire winter, right here in East Hampton! If they don't grow it, no subsidy....but not enough to sell to any Ethanol producer, especially when you factor in the long distance shipping costs. What a waste, what a lie, what a scam!