Originally Posted by Si modo

Right, and transforming land in the contiguous 48 for sugar cane (or even beet) is bad for eco-systems in the climates friendly for cane (Florida, LA, etc.). That doesn't seem too environmentally sound, either - fertilizer runoff, irrigation, etc. Ethanol should be dead in the water. It is an inefficeint fuel compared to higher hydrocarbons and an environmentally unsound fuel to process, whether from corn or cane/beet, at the current demands.

Even if it didn't have its relative inherent chemical deficiencies as a fuel and was a feasible solution, the best approach would be to design ethanol production by tooling for sugar and easing import restrictions from sugar producers who do have favorable climates for growing cane. Not only would that help lower the cost of feedstock for EtOH production from sugar, it would give some South American and Carribean farmers more incentive to grow cane rather than coco or other illegal drugs. Too bad it's a pretty moot point with respect to fuel efficiency and environmental concerns.