Caution on using corn for ethanol

To the editor:The June 18 article "Oil industry scaling back refinery expansions" should be of great concern to everyone. The industry is basing this on a "push from Congress and the White House for huge increases in biofuels such as ethanol" and the Senate's debate over "huge increases in ethanol production."

The problem is these huge increases are not logical for the long run and not feasible without using up our domestic corn requirement. Based on the early planting expectations of increasing our corn acreage to 90 million from 78 million and the highly optimist average yield of 150 bushes per acre, we would produce 13.5 billion bushels in 2007. If ethanol refineries used 30 percent, this would leave 9.7 billion bushels, barely enough for domestic requirements. However, with weather forecasts by the Climate Prediction Center varying greatly from region to region and La Nina (cooler ocean currents) appearing and possibly creating a severe drought, we may be in for much lower yields.

Taking the average of best and worst yield estimates (135 bushels), 90 million acres would yield 12.1 billion bushels. If ethanol refineries use 30 percent, it would leave 8.5 billion, a billion bushels short of domestic needs.

The Senate legislation calling for 15 billion and 30 billion gallons of ethanol eventually does not make sense and would virtually wipe out our beef, pork, poultry and dairy industries. This, coupled with the refineries scaling back on expansions and thus raising gasoline prices still higher, will be a double whammy for consumers.

JACK H. KNOWLAN Sr., Jackson