That does not take into account the billions spent since the turn of the century. Tripling ethanol use could replace the need for Iraqi oil. Blended at terminals, ethanol can help extend our critically short supply of gasoline, diesel fuel and home heating oil. Ten out of 11 Americans favor an energy policy that emphasizes the use of ethanol rather than continuing our reliance on foreign oil. In fact, without the presence of ethanol in our nation's energy supply, our foreign oil dependence would be much worse.
Ethanol is a national security issue.
23.8 gallons of ethanol displace one barrel of imported oil. Increasing the use of domestic ethanol will make America less dependent on foreign oil. Tripling the use of domestic ethanol would reduce the need for over 600,000 barrels of oil per day - effectively replacing our current Iraqi oil imports.