The realization that corn ethanol fuel is a bad deal has been building over the last half-dozen years.
It’s inefficient. It drives up food costs and competition for arable land. And its use has little to no effect on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
We don’t fault the lawmakers in 2005 who thought it was a good idea to pursue biofuel development. In fact, we were supporters.
But we would also hope members of both parties are honest enough to admit the ethanol experiment is not turning out as expected.
Congress should have a conversation about repealing the ethanol mandate. In fact, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, and Republican Sens. Pat Toomey and Jeff Flake have introduced a bill to do just that.
At the very least, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should continue to issue waivers on the amount of ethanol blended into the transportation fuel supply.
The development of alternative fuels and renewable energy are important to the nation’s energy future. But long-term support should be contingent upon ideas proving their value, and in this case corn ethanol is falling short.
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