It's really too bad. What we're seeing is sort of the backpedaling that undermines these commitments.

Converting to fuel ethanol will not require a big change in the economy. We are already ethanol ready. If ethanol were available on the supply side, the demand is there.

It will either be a wonderful way to access some of the country's best renewable resources or, under cover of environmental rhetoric, foster a whole new generation of dirty plants. No one can say for sure right now how this will go.

Making ethanol from corn is a good thing if you want to offset fossil fuels from overseas. On the greenhouse gas side of things, it is not clear if corn, as grown today, is a good thing. We just don't know yet, but it appears to be a mildly good thing.

Corn is an OK source for ethanol. But if you really want to hit a home run, you need to go to cellulose.

Corn is an OK source for ethanol. But if you really want to hit a homerun, you need to go to cellulose.