Ethanol May Not Beat Gas

A new report on ethanol is questioning whether the energy efficiency and environmental impact of the alternative fuel will leave consumers any better off than they are with existing motor gasoline.

The report, titled "Ethanol: A Look Ahead," was written by Tiffany Groode at the Laboratory for Energy and the Environment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Groode says that corn ethanol is not more energy-efficient than motor gasoline. She also argues that the overall impact of producing and burning corn ethanol could be as harmful to global warming as is producing and burning gasoline. ...