Comments on: Report: Forget fueling cars on corn or soybeans

Think of ethanol as biofuel 1.0. Genetically modified plants or synthetic fuels could be the alternatives that gain traction.

[cyberspittle]

An alteternative to "not digging into the food supply"?

Hmmm. Let me get this straight ...

Using corn for fuel, takes food out of the mouths of people. Wouldn't growing switchgrass instead of corn do the same thing? There is only so much land in the U.S., we have a limited number of farmers ...

Am I missing something?

[chuck_whealton]

Re: An alternative to not digging into the food supply

Perhaps it's ancient history now, but I thought our government used to actually pay farmers to let their land sit idle, or to NOT grow certain crops?

Either way, I'd bet there's land available to grow it...

Charles R. Whealton
Charles Whealton @ pleasedontspam.com

[cyberspittle]

An alteternative to "not digging into the food supply"?

Hmmm. Let me get this straight ...

Using corn for fuel, takes food out of the mouths of people. Wouldn't growing switchgrass instead of corn do the same thing? There is only so much land in the U.S., we have a limited number of farmers ...

Am I missing something?

[chuck_whealton]

Re: An alternative to not digging into the food supply

Perhaps it's ancient history now, but I thought our government used to actually pay farmers to let their land sit idle, or to NOT grow certain crops?

Either way, I'd bet there's land available to grow it...

Charles R. Whealton
Charles Whealton @ pleasedontspam.com

[jontemple]

More proof that CNET is just propaganda for large multi-nationals

The story that was not written by the CNET author, but has been making the round in other publications is a total fraud.
This is just propaganda written for the interests of the oil oligopoly and U.S. Car manufacturers.
It is lies.
One just needs to look at a honest story that is not from a organization that is a prostitute to the multi-nationals.
Here are some things to understand, and this is just the start:
1. The biofuel factories in Brazil are self-sustaining. The power to run them is from the manufactured biofuels themselves.
2. Japan, Austrailia, Germany China, India have been importing ethanol from Brazil to reduce their dependance on fossil fuels. Important to know that the U.S. doesn't do this, but the U.S. has a $.54 per gallon tax on all imported ethanol. Thus protecting oil company oligopoly and inflating importing the best grade of ethanol from Brazil. What happened to the "war on terrorism, where the Saudis financed 9/11 as well as other disasters.
4. The President of Brazil drives a car using biofuels, which is MADE BY GENERAL MOTORS. Other car companies have been flushering with their engines that will run on biofuels or gas (but runs on 100% biofuel very well). GM is now trying to get into the market, IN BRAZIL, ASIA, BUT NOT IN THE U.S.

5. Chat with Willie Nelson who has been running a biofuel only car for a while. He can also talk to you about what this would do for farmers. Imagine the U.S. being totally independent of Arab fossil fuels.

6. Remember, this is just the start. We need to partner with countries like Brazil, learn from them, rely on a renewable energy and away from fossil fuels. There are strong lobbies from defense contractors (no more baases and attacking of oil rich Arab nations), gas companies (the highest profits in the history of business), a focus more on technology, U.S. agriculture, partnering with companies for the good of all, not for political reasons. This can be done NOW. See following articles. No need to destroy our heritiage by digging up land in Alaska. Cnet is sickening.

<a href="

[amadensor]

You missed the whole point

Did you even read the story, or just spout off that someone is an oil baron cronie just because something possibly negative was said about biofuel?

The point, if you had read it, is that corn and soybeans, although they make more energy than they take, are not as good as other plants, like the switchgrass example. Other plants take less water and fertilization, and therefore can be grown on land not suitable for food production.

Result: Biofuel for cheaper, more work for farmers, and no rise in food prices because of the lack of overlap in land use.

Nothing looks like they were in with the oil companies on it.

Final take corn and soy take a lot of water and effort to grow. The other stuff would be better. Eat corn and soy, burn switchgrass and other high cellulous plants.

[nutters]

uhh.....some of that is true

Well, flex-fuel cars made by GM and Ford have been on sale in the U.S. for several months now, maybe you've just been in a coma. The U.S. doesn't import biofuels because they are made here in the U.S. I would know considering I live in Iowa, and there are several biofuel plants where I live and more are being built every year. But, maybe you want to just import something we can make here from another country, putting money in their pocket instead of the U.S. economy. Then instead of being dependant on oil from the Middle-East it will be ethanol from South America. The $.54 a gallon tax is to promote biofuel expanding in the U.S. Until the capacity to create biofuels on a large scale is here it will be more expensive than importing from more advanced facilities.

[jontemple]

More proof that CNET is just propaganda for large multi-nationals

The story that was not written by the CNET author, but has been making the round in other publications is a total fraud.
This is just propaganda written for the interests of the oil oligopoly and U.S. Car manufacturers.
It is lies.
One just needs to look at a honest story that is not from a organization that is a prostitute to the multi-nationals.
Here are some things to understand, and this is just the start:
1. The biofuel factories in Brazil are self-sustaining. The power to run them is from the manufactured biofuels themselves.
2. Japan, Austrailia, Germany China, India have been importing ethanol from Brazil to reduce their dependance on fossil fuels. Important to know that the U.S. doesn't do this, but the U.S. has a $.54 per gallon tax on all imported ethanol. Thus protecting oil company oligopoly and inflating importing the best grade of ethanol from Brazil. What happened to the "war on terrorism, where the Saudis financed 9/11 as well as other disasters.
4. The President of Brazil drives a car using biofuels, which is MADE BY GENERAL MOTORS. Other car companies have been flushering with their engines that will run on biofuels or gas (but runs on 100% biofuel very well). GM is now trying to get into the market, IN BRAZIL, ASIA, BUT NOT IN THE U.S.

5. Chat with Willie Nelson who has been running a biofuel only car for a while. He can also talk to you about what this would do for farmers. Imagine the U.S. being totally independent of Arab fossil fuels.

6. Remember, this is just the start. We need to partner with countries like Brazil, learn from them, rely on a renewable energy and away from fossil fuels. There are strong lobbies from defense contractors (no more baases and attacking of oil rich Arab nations), gas companies (the highest profits in the history of business), a focus more on technology, U.S. agriculture, partnering with companies for the good of all, not for political reasons. This can be done NOW. See following articles. No need to destroy our heritiage by digging up land in Alaska. Cnet is sickening.

<a href="

[amadensor]

You missed the whole point

Did you even read the story, or just spout off that someone is an oil baron cronie just because something possibly negative was said about biofuel?

The point, if you had read it, is that corn and soybeans, although they make more energy than they take, are not as good as other plants, like the switchgrass example. Other plants take less water and fertilization, and therefore can be grown on land not suitable for food production.

Result: Biofuel for cheaper, more work for farmers, and no rise in food prices because of the lack of overlap in land use.

Nothing looks like they were in with the oil companies on it.

Final take corn and soy take a lot of water and effort to grow. The other stuff would be better. Eat corn and soy, burn switchgrass and other high cellulous plants.

[nutters]

uhh.....some of that is true

Well, flex-fuel cars made by GM and Ford have been on sale in the U.S. for several months now, maybe you've just been in a coma. The U.S. doesn't import biofuels because they are made here in the U.S. I would know considering I live in Iowa, and there are several biofuel plants where I live and more are being built every year. But, maybe you want to just import something we can make here from another country, putting money in their pocket instead of the U.S. economy. Then instead of being dependant on oil from the Middle-East it will be ethanol from South America. The $.54 a gallon tax is to promote biofuel expanding in the U.S. Until the capacity to create biofuels on a large scale is here it will be more expensive than importing from more advanced facilities.

[SumoPixel]

It is all Economics 101

The morality of using food for fuel has nothing to do with it. The crux of the matter is high oil prices and low grain prices. If a profit can be made from burning food, then food will be allocated to fuel production. It is simply economics 101 in action.

If you don't like the idea of burning food, then buy some grain and send it to the starving people of the world. That would be a wonderful thing to do! By doing so, you will help drive the price of grain up to a level that makes it econonomically infeasible to convert it to fuel.

[SumoPixel]

It is all Economics 101

The morality of using food for fuel has nothing to do with it. The crux of the matter is high oil prices and low grain prices. If a profit can be made from burning food, then food will be allocated to fuel production. It is simply economics 101 in action.

If you don't like the idea of burning food, then buy some grain and send it to the starving people of the world. That would be a wonderful thing to do! By doing so, you will help drive the price of grain up to a level that makes it econonomically infeasible to convert it to fuel.

[windsurf2020]

Please learn what GMOs are before writing an article with that heading.

Once again, CNET doing more stories and pushing them off to their reader as good and necessary news much like the bi-weekly updates on weapons manufacturings and the latest killing toys. Food product or other plant products are great sources of fuel, whether made here locally or imported. The issue is with Genetically modified versions of these plants. Our world will cease to have the natural diversity it once did if we continue to pollute the species of plants with our genetic research. Its already happening with Corn and cross pollination. The answer is not more genetically modified crops. Renewable should not include GMO derived fuel, only because it has other negative non-reversible effects

[greigmg]

Expound please?

Can you expound on what's happening with corn and cross pollination?

If our naturally evolved food plants have negative characteristics, why shouldn't we modify them? Genetically modified foods are bug resistant, stay fresh longer, don't require the same amounts of fertilizer or pesticide, and can be grown in a wider variety of climates. More population = More food needed. I don't see what the problem is.

[nutters]

You're missing several things

The switchgrass has a higher yeild of ethanol per bushel than corn, therefore, less land but more fuel. And it can be grown in more places corn can't, meaning it won't take land from farmers.

[nutters]

You're missing several things

The switchgrass has a higher yeild of ethanol per bushel than corn, therefore, less land but more fuel. And it can be grown in more places corn can't, meaning it won't take land from farmers.

[Jeff419]

What about Hemp??

We can solve all our fuel problems with Hemp. Everyone knows it, yet hemp cultivation remains illegal in America. What a joke!!

[JackfromBerkeley]

I'll smoke to that!

Betsy Ross made her flag from hemp cloth. Hemp seeds contain
more omega-3 fatty acids than any other plant. If we didn't have
hemp, we'd have to genetically modify up some. Still, running a car
on burning hemp would sure smell good. People in following cars
might start to smile after a while.

[inachu]

I am helping friend to drive car on tap water

How about the man who was killed and made several patents on driving your car just on water?

Hows that to tell the middle east where they can shove their oil!

I am downloading the patents as I type this.

[Seaspray0]

That's almost as believable as...

the perpetual motion machine. I've got several blueprints on those; I'm looking for someone to buy them.

[inachu]

I am helping friend to drive car on tap water

How about the man who was killed and made several patents on driving your car just on water?

Hows that to tell the middle east where they can shove their oil!

I am downloading the patents as I type this.

[Seaspray0]

That's almost as believable as...

the perpetual motion machine. I've got several blueprints on those; I'm looking for someone to buy them.

[windsurf2020]

Please learn what GMOs are before writing an article with that heading.

Once again, CNET doing more stories and pushing them off to their reader as good and necessary news much like the bi-weekly updates on weapons manufacturings and the latest killing toys. Food product or other plant products are great sources of fuel, whether made here locally or imported. The issue is with Genetically modified versions of these plants. Our world will cease to have the natural diversity it once did if we continue to pollute the species of plants with our genetic research. Its already happening with Corn and cross pollination. The answer is not more genetically modified crops. Renewable should not include GMO derived fuel, only because it has other negative non-reversible effects

[greigmg]

Expound please?

Can you expound on what's happening with corn and cross pollination?

If our naturally evolved food plants have negative characteristics, why shouldn't we modify them? Genetically modified foods are bug resistant, stay fresh longer, don't require the same amounts of fertilizer or pesticide, and can be grown in a wider variety of climates. More population = More food needed. I don't see what the problem is.

[Jeff419]

What about Hemp??

We can solve all our fuel problems with Hemp. Everyone knows it, yet hemp cultivation remains illegal in America. What a joke!!

[JackfromBerkeley]

I'll smoke to that!

Betsy Ross made her flag from hemp cloth. Hemp seeds contain
more omega-3 fatty acids than any other plant. If we didn't have
hemp, we'd have to genetically modify up some. Still, running a car
on burning hemp would sure smell good. People in following cars
might start to smile after a while.