Letters to the Editor
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No silver bullets
Biofuels are not necessarily 'green' in the sense that they are manufactured by tree-hugging environmentalists. They are green in that they are renewable. Just like wood and other forms of renewable energies (to which animal fat could be added, if you want to stretch the definition). Doesn't make them environmentally friendly, necessarily - palm oil production is a perfect example of this dichotomy.
There are no silver bullets in the search for a petroleum replacement, no single 'energy' that we can grow enough of so we won't have to alter our attitudes or lifestyles in some way. Arguing over how many btu's ethanol vs. petroleum production consumes is just a distraction. There won't be enough petroleum at some point, period.
And keep in mind the various interested parties behind the various studies. Why isn't biodiesel (much more efficient to produce) even on the table in most of the US? Ask the agricultural community what they produce most of. Ask the car makers who don't make diesel engines for the US market but produce them for the diesel/biodiesel blends popular in Europe.
Why, if diesel is being produced, is it as a soy by-product and not with more potentially efficient plants? Ask the soy producers.
Why are studies published and then relentlessly repeated that discredit biofuel production? Ask the petroleum interests. Duh.