Ethanol: Myths and Realities

In the US Heartland, we are hearing about more and more ethanol plants. The nearby “big little” town of Enid, Oklahoma, is working on a second plant, even before completing the first. So you know that this is big and exploding.

But we are also hearing some contrarian voices, knocking ethanol as not all its promoted to be. So what’s the truth? Alex Halperin, writing in BusinessWeek, poses Ten questions — and answers — about the fuel that’s supposed to save the economy.

Some of the questions he answers are:

  • What exactly is ethanol?
  • Beyond high gas prices, why is everyone talking about ethanol?
  • Are there any problems with ethanol?
  • Doesn’t producing ethanol on a large scale use a great deal of energy?
  • So where can I find ethanol?
  • Is ethanol cheaper than gas?
  • What companies stand to benefit from increased ethanol use?
  • What can we expect to change in the future?

  • About the Author
  • Latest by this Author
Becky McCray wearing long braids and a professional outfit smiles as she stands on a rural downtown street with twinkling lights in the background.

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.

Published: June 2, 2006

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