Green fuel

What is green fuel and why is it surrounded by so much controversy recently? Isn't it touted as the answer to all our gas price dilemmas? One of these green fuels is ethanol, an alcohol based fuel that is derived from fermenting and distilling crops that are broken down into simple sugars. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the production and use of ethanol, and this is where the war over green fuels seems to be rooted.

Ethanol fuel is mainly produced in the U.S. by a company called Archer Daniels Midland- an agricultural giant with lots of experience.
The issue seems to be that ethanol produced by this company is partially produced with coal power, which is one of the dirtiest forms of energy. Green activists wonder why the air is being polluted to make what has been hailed as a clean fuel. The EPA has even had to get involved in recent years to tighten down restrictions on these ethanol plants that are excessively polluting by spewing out chemicals that are dangerous to the environment, and known to cause cancer.

Many companies insist that they are looking for cleaner methods to produce ethanol, but in 2004, one ethanol plant in Iowa produced 200 times the level of what the EPA terms as a "major source of pollution".

It is clear that in our search to move away from oil dependence and find new green fuels, that we are only polluting in another area of production. It seems that what we are doing is substituting one form of dirty fuel with another. So where does our country stand? What are we doing to find independence from oil? Are we radically increasing our budget for alternative energy? Not much if you read this article about the U.S. energy research declining. We have a problem on our hands, America, and it is time that we truly step up the search for green fuel and alternative energy. Enough is enough. We need innovation and the American spirit that our country seems to have lost.