I must admit that I'm a bit confused and uncertain about this issue of biofuels. It seemed like such a great idea many years ago to use something that the United States produces in large quantities to power our cars and trucks. At least, it was believed, the resultant ethanol could be used to mix with gasoline to make it go farther. The beauty was that corn is incredibly renewable. Those cars and trucks could run forever once the production of ethanol got cheap enough to replace at least a substantial percentage of the gasoline we use. The agricultural specialty of the U.S. (we produce about 40% of the world's corn) could be used to substantially reduce our dependence on foreign oil at the same time that it helped prop up the farm industry. It was a win/win scenario that would have made former Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz very happy... until some realities set in.
One of the biggest and most immediate problems is that we're taking food off of the world's table by dedicating as much as one quarter of our corn harvest this year to ethanol. That percentage is expected to rise to 30% by 2010. That means less corn for people and for animals in the name of fuel. Yes, it seems like a great idea to reduce our dependency on foreign oil but at what expense?
The recent report by CBS News paints a rather grim picture. The bottom line is that the European Union is backing away from its plans to increase the production of biofuels and is looking at other technologies instead. Michael Pollan's fine book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, details the costs of producing corn. Mr. Pollan also details the environmental risks of the fertilizers used to make corn an annual crop. Those fertilizers, by the way, are in many cases made from petroleum which just proves how difficult it will be to wean ourselves off oil.
I'd like to see more attention and effort paid to the production of hydrogen. Yes, it costs more to manufacture than it's worth right now but with the commitment of entities other than current energy companies those costs can be reduced. The upside to hydrogen from an environmental standpoint seems to be much higher than just about anything currently being considered. The downside is that it takes a good deal of energy to produce the heat necessary to separate the hydrogen atoms but many feel that that can be overcome even if it means more nuclear power.
Please don't get the idea that I'm concerned about the future of cars. This is about the fuel used by transit buses and the vans that transport the disabled and the trucks that deliver goods that last five miles off the train and the fuel that powers those trains. This is about a lot more than Rex Fabulous sitting behind the wheel of his 23-year-old Cadillac with the bad exhaust. This is about the way that we get things done for the foreseeable future and until new ways of transporting things can be designed and delivered. Maybe it will be a Jetson-type world or maybe it will be more like Harlan Ellison's A Boy and His Dog. In the interim it might be like Mad Max where civilizations are destroyed by those who want fuel. The bottom line is that we have to deal with what we have now and work toward a better future.
+++++++++++++
Good to see Metro set a new record high for ridership this past Friday. Frankly, I'm surprised that the high cost of gas hasn't driven more people to Metro faster. The beauty of this new record is that it shows that it doesn't take a major event in town to get people to ride the trains. Yes, there was a rather well-attended Nationals game that evening but not a state funeral or an event on the Mall. It also seems to show that there is a breaking point after which people just won't make the effort. Maybe they find the trains too crowded or are uncomfortable on the platforms when there are so many people waiting. We Washingtonians tend to be a phobic as well as a litigious bunch.
Steve Eldridge is a long-time reporter, observer and commentator on the Washington region's transportation issues. You can contact him directly by writing to: Steve@SprawlandCrawl.com. Unless otherwise requested, letters or portions of letters can be used within future columns. Letter writers will be identified by their first name and city/neighborhood.
Steve, you made me chuckle when you mentioned how phobic the DC area is about getting close to people on the Metro. Did you know the DC area got rated only third from the top in terms of unfriendliest, meanest people in America? We also got rated as the just about the ugliest people (second from the top). Check it out at this Travel and Leisure Magazine link: http://www.travelandleisure.com/afc/2007/city/washington-dc
The above article made me feel so much better as I used to wonder why nobody will say hello and why people pretend not to see me in hallways when there are only the two of us present. I wonder if the unfriendliness causes the physical ugliness or vice versa...ahh, but I digress.
Posted by: David | July 15, 2008 at 03:22 PM