Regarding your national security argument. If we converted all the farm land in the USA to produce only corn to only be used as an ethanol feedstock, not enough would be produced to make the USA energy independent.
And after we had converted all of our USA farm land to produce corn, we then would have to buy all of our other farm products from foreign countries at high prices because the USA had stopped producing wheat, oats, cattle, etc.
No we must be prudent about making high cost alternative fuels. Otherwise, we can bankrupt the country just to prove a point that we can be energy independent.
12% plus or minus of our liquid fuel is ethanol. It is the preferred octane booster. Engines that can use ethanol can also use methanol. Methanol can be produced from coal our most plentiful form of energy AND cleanly. Every large quantity is important. We produce that 12% and have too much food if the American waistline is any indication.
Besides no one figures into their cost formulas for ethanol that once the alcohol is produced the grain doesn’t disappear. It is perfectly viable feed for cattle with everything remaining except the sugar. Protein and other nutrients are just fine.
There is no good argument against ethanol. National security and farmers are right. Doctrinaire textbook conservatives haven’t even begun to factor in the blood and treasure we have spent on the middle east.
Thank God for the rural, religious American farmer