Strike a Blow for Energy Independence this Fourth of July

by Anthony Bush (Ohio's Country Journal) ... (Imported) Flags and fireworks may not threaten our independence, but America’s reliance on foreign oil certainly does. Fortunately, there is a homegrown alternative, if we have the will to use it.

This country has a long and storied history with ethanol, a biofuel made from corn and other non-grain feedstocks. In fact, in 1908, Henry Ford designed his Model T to operate on ethanol. In the 1920s, Standard Oil began adding ethanol to gasoline to increase octane and reduce engine knocking. In the 1940s, the U.S. Army built and operated the first U.S. fuel ethanol plant in Omaha, Nebraska to produce fuel for American fighters in World War II.

Fast forward to the early 2000s, when states began banning MTBE, a groundwater-polluting gasoline additive, and replacing it with clean, renewable ethanol. Then in 2005, lawmakers concerned about our over-reliance on Middle Eastern oil enacted the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which requires oil companies to offer consumers increasing blends of homegrown biofuels.

Last year alone, biofuels replaced the need for 527 million barrels of oil, which is more than the U.S. imported from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait combined. Indeed, every truckload of American-made ethanol displaces more than 60 barrels of imported oil. It burns cleaner and cooler than oil, increases octane, and improves our engine performance — a net win by any measure.

Best of all, producing our own energy means that American dollars stay right here at home, where they can be used to invest in the next generation of green energy jobs. Already, the RFS supports more than 852,000 American jobs across manufacturing, engineering, science, research and development. And with strong support, that number will continue to grow. READ MORE and MORE (Renewable Fuels Association)