This summer's skyrocketing gas prices have dramatically demonstrated the danger of the United States' petroleum dependency. It's time for Congress to craft a national energy policy that promotes the use of renewable, domestic energy sources including corn-based ethanol. This summer's skyrocketing gas prices have dramatically demonstrated the danger of the United States' petroleum dependency. Ethanol is already being blended with gasoline, at levels of up to 10 percent, in many parts of the country. The benefits are clear.
Ethanol provides energy security.
The United States currently imports more than 50 percent of its domestic petroleum consumption - and about 80 percent of the world's proven oil reserves are in the perennially unstable Middle East. Plus, the planet has only a finite supply of fossil fuels. But ethanol is a home-grown resource made from readily replaceable agricultural feedstocks such as corn. Ethanol offers substantial environmental benefits. Ethanol contains 35 percent oxygen, which makes gasoline burn more cleanly.