by Daniel J. Gansle

Created on: April 26, 2008   Last Updated: April 27, 2008

On December 19, 2007, President G.W. Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act. Among numerous other initiatives related to U.S. energy policy, the bill requires a dramatic increase in the production of biofuels to 36 billion gallons by the year 2022, representing an eightfold increase from 2007 production levels.

The term "biofuel" is broadly defined as renewable non-fossil fuel derived from plant sources including sugar, soybeans, or corn. However, in some cases (such as biogas and methane from landfills), the energy is derived from other unique sources. The concept of using ethanol in energy production is not new; in fact, in 1907 Henry Ford designed the very first Model T to run on the renewable fuel and believed it would become a viable energy source in future years.

Undoubtedly, the most common form of biofuel used today is ethanol which is produced from corn or sugar cane. In the United States, ethanol is derived from corn; whereas Brazil utilizes sugar cane as the primary resource in the production of the popular biofuel. Corn-based ethanol, or E-85, is a mixture of eighty-five percent ethanol and fifteen percent gasoline. This makes ethanol a wise choice for weaning countries off volatile foreign sources of oil; however, in recent weeks talk of worldwide increases in food prices coupled with food shortages in some countries have spurred hearty debate as to the practice of using food for fuel.

The sharp rise in worldwide food prices and increased hunger in underdeveloped countries has led some to view ethanol production not simply as a socioeconomic crisis, but a moral dilemma as well. And the moral argument is valid: while we're trying to fight hunger around the world, we're actually increasing it at the same time through the displacement of traditional food crops in favor of larger crops devoted strictly for plants used in ethanol production.

It's a very simple economic principle, actually. Less acreage devoted to traditional food crops means less food produced, which results in lessening supplies and rising prices in the face of increased demand.

To add to the food shortage crisis is the effect of ethanol production on the environment. Recent studies have concluded that producing ethanol around the world has resulted in just as many (if not more) tons of harmful carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere as per fossil fuel energy production. This results in increased global warming, which in turn results in an increase in droughts and desertification in some agricultural areas. When less farmland is available to produce food, the obvious result is rising food prices in the face of decreasing supply.

Though the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 requires a dramatic increase in the production of biofuel, it is highly doubtful that ethanol will survive as a viable long-term replacement for oil. Because of the numerous negative consequences and the growing worldwide global hunger crisis due to ethanol production, energy policy officials may be forced to reconsider the popular biofuel as a viable renewable energy source. Rather, the focus should shift toward development and implementation of clean renewables such as wind, solar, tidal stream, and hydrogen.

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