An alternate view on ethanol

The local alternative weekly newspaper here in Hamilton, View, has this week a commentary about ethanol-based fuels. It offers a counterpoint to the commonly held view that moonshine is the key to energy independence from the Middle East and Venezuela. As the writer Sarah Veale points out, ethanol in Canada is like the United States backed by a very powerful lobby -- the agrifood business with such giants as Archer Daniels Midland, Monsanto and Pioneer. Independent farmers, which are becoming fewer and fewer and who rely on companies like these for their daily bread, are getting squeezed out and are not likely to benefit.

There are a number of other points Veale brings up. First, because farmers are switching to corn and soybeans almost exclusively to feed the growing veracious appetite for ethanol, there is less crop rotation and/or leaving sections of field fallow for regenerative purposes; as a result, soil erosion is increasing. Second, it may lead to even more destruction of environmentally sensitive areas including old growth forests to make way for more crops; which in turn increases greenhouse gases and threatens water supplies. And third, ethanol can be produced not just from corn and soybeans but also from less environmentally degrading sources such as hay and sawdust.

My sense is that ethanol is only part of the solution. A big part, but just that. Higher fuel economy standards -- such as those that exist in California or the EU -- would also cut our reliance on foreign oil. So would simply driving less often and using alternate modes of transportation. And here's an idea: How about if everyone actually drove at the speed limit? People could save a ton of fuel, and the roads would be a lot safer as a side effect.

I only have to think of here in Hamilton where some arterial roads are treated like expressways; such as the express lanes on Burlington Street between Ottawa and Woodward. The posted limit is 70 km/h and the average speed is more like 110, with next to zero law enforcement there. Or Garth Street near where I live -- speeds averaging 80 km/h in a 50 zone; again with sparse patrols. We have to smell that stuff and on top of that there are too many head-on collisions.

It's bad enough people flash their headlights in your rear view mirror commanding you to break the law, then when you won't passing you with three inches to spare because they can't wait another 30 seconds to go 500 metres down the road before the next intersection. Like inhaling corn instead of dead dinosaurs will actually make us feel any safer behind the wheel or on the sidewalk?

Makes one wonder whether the money PMS offered in last month's budget on ethanol and bio diesel was money well spent. Especially when it's Big Agra -- or rather, its employees and suppliers -- that provide a lot of the ruling party's funding.

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