Wishful thinking fuels ethanol dreams – Ethanol’s an uneconomic alternative, and new mandates for Montana motorists won’t change that.

There’s something terribly intoxicating about ethanol. The idea of converting grain to fuel to help wean Americans off their oil addiction makes some people downright giddy. Ethanol connoisseurs include environmentalists worshipping at the altar of alternative fuels, giant agribusiness corporations in line for the subsidy dollars taxpayers tithe and farmers praying new demand for grain to produce ethanol will lead to higher incomes.

But a sober look at the ethanol promise is less exciting. The ethanol economy has proved more delusion than dream, despite massive federal subsidies paid out over decades. The problem, of course, is that ethanol is an expensive alternative. The only reason anyone burns ethanol is because the government makes them do it, and the only reason there’s much ethanol to burn is because taxpayers subsidize its production.

Full Opinion: http://missoulian.com/articles/2005/01/11/opinion/opinion2.txt