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get the energy equivalence of a gallon of gasoline, the price would be $3.71 per gallon.
Gasoline is currently about $3.03 per gallon. (1)

After taking these pros, cons, and facts into consideration, it is clear that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. It would be an absurdity if we were to switch to a fuel that not only would cost more to the consumer, but to the environment as well. This corn ethanol prospect is undeniably not a good idea.

Alternatives
New findings however, look encouraging when alternative biological sources are considered. It is worth mentioning that crops other than corn have been evaluated as alternatives to fossil fuel. One of them is sugarcane. Brazil is currently using sugarcane to produce a biofuel that works in conjunction with gasoline. Vehicles have been designed to run on both gasoline and cane ethanol, and any mixture of the two. Here is a price comparison between gasoline and Brazil's cane ethanol as it applies to the Brazilian economy:

Production costs are currently $0.87 per gallon.
Retail price is $2.92 per gallon
To get the energy equivalence of a gallon of gasoline, the price would be $3.88 per gallon.
Gasoline (25% ethanol) is $4.91 per gallon. (1)

Brazil's new biofuel may not give the country total independence from fossil fuel, but it significantly reduces their need for it. Unfortunately, it also reduces the amount of sugar that is available for other uses, such as human consumption.

In the United States, it is currently the corn kernels, which are being used to produce ethanol, but like the sugarcane in Brazil, it too is reducing the amount of food available to consumers. An article in the October 2007 issue of the National Geographic Magazine seems to solve this food problem with a brilliant idea.

"Take food out of the picture and use cellulose out of the remains of
crops or grasses, algae and other inedible greens." (1)

At present, scientists are working on this cellulosic, ethanol idea with a few pilot production plants dotted around the country. Switch grass, one of the experimental possibilities as a fossil fuel alternative, looks like it might be the fuel source that the world has needed for some time. In the November 08, 2006 issue of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, an article by David Templeton about the switchgrass prospect lists the benefits as follows:

"Potential benefits of growing switchgrass seem too good to be true:

A renewable energy source that produces 8,000 BTUs per pound,
which compares with quality

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