Can we grow our way out of an energy crisis?

OZARK – Missouri’s Mark Twain popularized the phrase, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics.”

That is exactly what a prominent researcher says about the nation’s current rush to embrace corn ethanol as an alternative fuel. And, he’s not alone.

New government mandates will bring ethanol to a gas station near you. Proponents of the alternative biofuel say it burns cleaner, is economical and will reduce the nation’s dependency on foreign oil. Opponents say it is a government giveaway that cost more to produce than it delivers in energy, pollutes more and does not foster energy independence.

“It is absolute stupidity,” said Cornell University’s David Pimentel, professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, in a recent telephone interview with the Headliner News. “It is a major scam.”

Why would business leaders, state and U.S. lawmakers perpetuate a “major scam” on the public?

“Big money and politics” Pimentel said. “Those two words tell it all. Ethanol has 45 times the subsidies that gasoline has. (Our government is) spending $6 billion annually on subsidies for ethanol.”

Ozarks Newsstand