The Ethanol Papers - Paperturn manuscript - Flipbook - Page 155
Second, unlike gasoline, in the event of an ethanol spill, the vapors from ethanol
evaporate quickly, which mitigates the possibility of continuous secondary explosions. Gasoline vapors remain even after the liquid is cleaned, and gasoline
vapors are more explosive than gasoline liquid.
Third, unlike gasoline and diesel, ethanol fires can be extinguished with water.
Fourth, a mature and comprehensive ethanol industry would eliminate most
need to transport ethanol via long-distance rail or pipelines. This alone reduces
the risks of using ethanol versus petroleum oil products. The optimal ethanol
production scenario would be similar to the milk industry model. That is to say,
ethanol production would take place near retail distribution outlets. Instead of
having to carry ethanol over hundreds or thousands of miles, the distance from
the production center to filling station could be little more than a couple of miles.
From an economic perspective, ethanol also provides great advantages. We
wouldn't be dependent upon foreign enemy and terrorist regimes for our primary
engine fuels; we wouldn't be sending hundreds of billions of dollars outside of
America every year; we would really create a tremendous number of new
fulltime jobs - not just a relatively few temporary jobs to build the pipeline; and
we would be helping to support our domestic farming industry without government subsidies (this would be true regardless of the crop used to produce the
ethanol).
And of course, if America didn't have to defend foreign oil producers and ocean
shipping we would save billions more each year and not lose thousands of
American military personnel in useless wars.
