The science for creating ethanol has been around since the 1920's.
Without subsidies, it is not profitable. With grain prices rising it becomes even less profitable. It is illogical to use so much energy to create energy. It is scientifically inefficient to burn so much fuel, tilling, planting, fertilizing, harvesting, hauling, and processing into fuel just to create more fuel. As this demand for corn causes the price of corn to rise, the price of other foods rises due to more land being allocated for corn. With every increase of ethanol use, these prices rise; making ethanol even more inefficient and unprofitable and requiring more of our tax dollars. We're in a hole already, stop digging.
If you want to read the truth about ethanol or current energy.... I suggest this journalist:
http://www.star-telegram.com/ed_wall...ry/504307.html
http://www.star-telegram.com/ed_wall...ry/541726.html
http://www.star-telegram.com/ed_wall...ry/541726.html
http://www.star-telegram.com/ed_wallace/
and just for the fun of it:
http://www.star-telegram.com/ed_wall...ry/433165.html
Ed Wallace is cool. ^-^
That isn't a corn grower. That's a fertilizer business that uses up very much energy with their products.
I have a feeling the same rich people are going to be owning these ethanol plants as well as investing in corn farming. Even with subsidies the market is still risky for these plants. Only someone with enough money are building them. Land prices have been steadily rising pushing out the family farmer. Big Oil will likely control every energy source.
Oil supply is high as ever yet we aren't refining it fast enough. Not only do environmentalists not support new refineries, oil companies don't want them either since that would lower their profits.