The White House ratcheted up support today for one of the biggest scams going in the world of sustainable energy: corn ethanol.  The administration enlisted Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Environmental Protection Agency Head Lisa Jackson to announce it would be moving to help improve the viability of ethanol as an alternative fuel with three initiatives.

First the government will be working to help protect corn ethanol producers from the credit crisis, by refinancing them directly and helping those with credit difficulties with loan guarantees.  Second, the auto industry will be pushed by its chief investor, the government, to produce vehicles that can use up to 85% ethanol in their fuel blends.  Lastly, steps will be undertaken to reduce the amount of fossil fuels employed in the production of ethanol.

Out of the three steps outlined, the last one makes the most sense, given that corn ethanol - the most prominent form by far produced in the United States - actually takes more energy to produce than it provides as a fuel.  That’s right.  Corn ethanol is basically useless to us in our quest for alternative energy sources.  But the government keeps flirting with the idea since it plays well, politically, in corn producing states in the heartland.  Far be it from me to tell these obviously skilled people to play the politics game.  But nobody should be fooled into thinking that corn ethanol will be solving our energy problems anytime soon.

LINKS:

NY Times: Green Inc: White House Steps Up Support for Biofuels

CNET: White House seeks to speed advanced biofuels

WSJ: White House to step up ethanol efforts