Pros and Cons of Ethanol

Pros:

• Higher financial return (greater profitability)
• Flourishing market
• Improved job opportunities
• Establishment of more plants
• Significant increase in household income for community (NPPD)
• Expansion of local economic base of surrounding community (NPPD)
• Trade benefit from reducing oil imports by approx. 143 million barrels
• Environmentally friendly (less emissions)
• Release of funding from fuel imports to be directed to other sectors Environmentally friendly (less emissions)


Cons:

Fewer corn crops available for food consumption
• Higher food prices
-Current increase in beef/chicken/eggs/fresh fruit/fresh veggies/pork
-Beef up 5.8%, Chicken up 5.7%, Eggs up 26.9%, Fruit up 9%, Veggies up 6.4%, Pork up 3.9%
• Higher price of grain due to scarcity
• Less land available for cultivation of other crops• Soil depletion