Several studies suggest that the $1.4 billion in government subsidies are encouraging the
ethanol program without substantial benefits to the U.S. economy. Large ethanol industries
and a few U.S. government agencies, such as the USDA, support the production of ethanol.
Corn-farmers receive minimal profits. In the U.S. ethanol system, considerably more energy,
including high-grade fossil fuel, is required to produce ethanol than is available in the energyethanol
output. Specifically about 29% more energy is used to produce a gallon of ethanol
than the energy in a gallon of ethanol. Fossil energy powers corn production and the fermentation/
distillation processes. Increasing subsidized ethanol production will take more feed from
livestock production, and is estimated to currently cost consumers an additional $1 billion per
year. Ethanol production increases environmental degradation. Corn production causes more
total soil erosion than any other crop. Also, corn production uses more insecticides, herbicides,
and nitrogen fertilizers than any other crop. All these factors degrade the agricultural
and natural environment and contribute to water pollution and air pollution. Increasing the
cost of food and diverting human food resources to the costly inefficient production of ethanol
fuel raise major ethical questions. These occur at a time when more than half of the world’s
population is malnourished. The ethical priority for corn and other food crops should be for
food and feed. Subsidized ethanol produced from U.S. corn is not a renewable energy source.