The Ethanol Papers - Paperturn manuscript - Flipbook - Page 411
There are areas of the west that have been faced with rising water prices because of the drought in the west, not because the western states are growing
an abundance of corn for ethanol. In California, for example, the crops include
lettuce, oranges, olives, almonds, pumpkins, hops, grapes, tomatoes, cotton,
walnuts, grapefruits, and flowers. Several of these crops are water-intensive.
Are you aware that lettuce production, for instance, has had a steady increase
year after year? Maybe people should stop eating so much salad.
I checked the Internet and didn't find one source that blames lettuce growing
on the increase of water prices. See, your argument about ethanol causing water prices to rise is disingenuous and puerile.
What does trouble me about your asking if I disagree with the complaints that
ethanol production drives up the cost of water is that this isn't even the correct
water issue to wonder about. The correct issue to be concerned with is how
much water is required to produce ethanol. So not only is your question irrelevant, you didn't get the question right. If we were playing Jeopardy on television
you would have lost.
I'll pose the problem for you - Barry: “Hey Marc, don't you think that ethanol
production uses far too much water?”
Barry, I'm glad you almost asked about this subject because it's one of my favorites to address - it always makes me laugh. Can you imagine the oil industry
and its shills pretending that they have a concern for water issues? It is the
ultimate in hypocrisy. It’s not just Nazi-like double speak, it’s like double speak
to the 10th power.
The people who brought us global fresh and salt water disasters, who have
killed untold millions of wildlife, who have destroyed untold miles of beautiful
beaches; they’re raising a red flag warning about the water requirements to
produce ethanol.
The issue of water use may be the single best example of the advances that
have been made in ethanol production. The schmucky people, you know the
anti-ethanol crowd, say that ethanol requires huge amounts of water, not just in
the actual distillation process, but in the growing of the crops that are used to
make the mash that gets fermented and then distilled. It’s true; water is required
for these tasks. In his book, Robert Bryce cites various studies that reveal the
amount of water required. He then uses various voodoo equations to paint a
picture that would show the Earth turning into the desert planet Arrakis from
Frank Herbert’s “Dune Saga.”
