‘Silver Bullets’ for Solving the Energy Crisis #4 - Redirect Corn Ethanol Subsidies into Garbage
Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com
Every energy expert says there is no one “silver bullet” for solving the global energy crisis. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a bunch of silver bullets, each one of which might solve a part of this crisis, and do so in a way that makes investors a lot of money. EnergyTechStocks.com has loaded up its six-shooters with silver-bullet solutions to different aspects of the energy crisis which, in its opinion, aren’t just technologically feasible but, just as important, politically and financially viable as well.
Silver Bullet #4: Cut back on government subsidies for the production of ethanol from corn and redirect that money into research for ethanol made from garbage.
Something has to be done about government subsidies in the U.S. for the production of fuel ethanol from corn. As numerous experts have pointed out, the present path isn’t sustainable. Too much corn is being used to make transportation fuel, resulting in ever-rising food prices as China and other countries compete for America’s dwindling grain surpluses.
Ironically, while Congress just mandated big increases in the amount of ethanol made from garbage and other cellulosic sources, the Department of Energy has already told Congress that its goals can’t be met. But they could, if federal corn subsidies were removed from corn and that money poured into research on garbage-to-ethanol.
At least one company - Bluefire Ethanol Fuels - already is in the business. But more work needs to be done to make ethanol from waste commercially viable. This would enable the U.S. to tap the hidden value of all the landfills in America. Also, by localizing ethanol production in this way, the need for new long-distance ethanol pipelines that will only add to pump prices could be avoided.
In addition to Bluefire, the winners in all this might be giant landfill owners such as Waste Management and Republic Services. Indeed, landfill owner-operators would seem positioned to do well whether or not their garbage winds up in gas tanks, because if it doesn’t, it likely will wind up being gasified and used to fuel power plants instead.
Coming tomorrow, March 28 - Silver Bullet #5 - building a better electrical wire
