Ethanol does require more to get equal bang, yet with the stellar ag economy in the USA, and even Australia, Brazil and Argentina can produce high amounts of products to make ethanol. A shift to ethanol has widespread wealth and economic changes. Wealth in farms, the changes possible in the ag sector and how it can add to land values, the change in the export/import equations as the need to rely on others ( like the USA does on oil ) changes drastically. As for oil in the USA, former Sen Breaux, D-LA, recently said that ther is no reason for us to not be taking oil from Alaska, the West and East coast, that all have amazing amounts available, and that the enviromentalist and their stories of doom and disaster are false and hurtful to the USA. He also mentioned that his party needs to break free of the enviromentalists grasp and do what is right, not what brings in money ( interesting how he is retired and now says this ).
