“Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California do not have the water to grow corn or any other crop for ethanol.”
True, nor should they attempt to grow corn. But offshore California has vast oil reserves they could utilize and profit from if they would quit strangling themselves.
The Pimmential study is over a decade old and was the least objective of the 4 or 5 scientific studys about the same time.
Texas has plenty of oil and they are sharing their oil with the rest of America whenever the government allows them to.
New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada should grow nothing. But they have a solar exposure capable of generating large amounts of electricity. The east has vast amounts of coal capable of fueling automobiles and power plants, if the government would let them utilize the resource. The East also has wind and tidal potential.
My point is, ethanol is not everyones alternative. If we divide America into 3 quadrants, each one is capable of delivering enough self contained energy to significantly reduce oil imports and increase domestic energy.
The key is what the government enables the people, and their investors to do. Since government has the permission slip every process has to be approved by our great poly scientists in Washington Dunce Cap.
Yes but drilling for oil is not a boondoggle. Ethanol is. You are apparently not aware of more recent studies done by Pimentel in conjunction with others.