# Ethanol question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 24, 2007, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethanol-question/389329 "2007-01-24T23:05:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethanol-question/389329/21 "2007-01-26T15:11:33Z")
I’ll go for advantage D: I can power my car on Everclear. (Those sneaky revenooers will force car fuel alcohol to be poisonated, though :mad: ) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethanol-question/389329/22 "2007-01-27T03:06:13Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] I’ll go for advantage D: I can power my car on Everclear. (Those sneaky revenooers will force car fuel alcohol to be poisonated, though :mad: ) [/QUOTE] They already have. ☹ Car fuel alcohol has to be “denatured” (poisoned) or the sneaky revenooers will call it corn likker. I’ve heard a few stories from the ethanol guys that some have sampled the product before it was denatured. They were unimpressed with the finished product. It’s just as well. Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Iowa Sipping Whiskey just doesn’t sound right. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2007, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethanol-question/389329/23 "2007-02-01T20:44:33Z")
Sorry to click this one back up to the top, but a recent news story reminded me that I had neglected to make another point during my initial question. If third world countries turn their crop-growing abilities over to the production of corn or other products from which ethanol may be produced, what’s to prevent them from not producing enough to feed their own people? My husband asked this question several days ago, and lo and behold, here’s this story in today’s news: [Protests](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/01/31/international/i203548S73.DTL&hw=tortillas&sn=001&sc=1000) in Mexico over the rising cost of corn tortillas. Corn is being sold to ethanol producers because they will pay more, and the price of the most basic commodity that feeds the poor is going up. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2007, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethanol-question/389329/24 "2007-02-01T23:24:42Z")
[QUOTE=teela brown] [Protests](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/01/31/international/i203548S73.DTL&hw=tortillas&sn=001&sc=1000) in Mexico over the rising cost of corn tortillas. Corn is being sold to ethanol producers because they will pay more, and the price of the most basic commodity that feeds the poor is going up. [/QUOTE] I heard about this on NPR’s All Things Considered 2 or 3 weeks ago. In their story they said that most of the corn used for making tortillas in Mexico is imported from the US, and that the price of that corn is increasing because of demand from ethanol producers in the US. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethanol-question/389329/25 "2007-02-02T00:37:28Z")
[QUOTE=Imasquare] I heard about this on NPR’s All Things Considered 2 or 3 weeks ago. In their story they said that most of the corn used for making tortillas in Mexico is imported from the US, and that the price of that corn is increasing because of demand from ethanol producers in the US. [/QUOTE] Actually the corn imported from the US is yelow corn for animal feed. Tortillas are made from white corn of which México is self-sufficient. Some here, and I’m one, suspect big agro-business may be using this as a ploy to lift the ban on importing genetically modified corn. ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethanol-question/389329/26 "2007-02-02T01:37:43Z")
[QUOTE=teela brown] Sorry to click this one back up to the top, but a recent news story reminded me that I had neglected to make another point during my initial question. If third world countries turn their crop-growing abilities over to the production of corn or other products from which ethanol may be produced, what’s to prevent them from not producing enough to feed their own people? My husband asked this question several days ago, and lo and behold, here’s this story in today’s news: [Protests](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/01/31/international/i203548S73.DTL&hw=tortillas&sn=001&sc=1000) in Mexico over the rising cost of corn tortillas. Corn is being sold to ethanol producers because they will pay more, and the price of the most basic commodity that feeds the poor is going up. [/QUOTE] Since the US is a major user of foreign oil and US consumption of oil will probably go down because of bio fuels then the supply and demand kicks in and oil prices ought to go down. Of course it depends upon opec so your husband can rest assured it won’t be us that has caused that child to starve. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethanol-question/389329/27 "2007-02-02T20:15:18Z")
[QUOTE=CBEscapee] Actually the corn imported from the US is yelow corn for animal feed. Tortillas are made from white corn of which México is self-sufficient. Some here, and I’m one, suspect big agro-business may be using this as a ploy to lift the ban on importing genetically modified corn. [/QUOTE] Doesn’t NAFTA open the door to that next January anyway? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethanol-question/389329.md?page=1)