Mr. Wyman's letter (OGJ, Nov. 27, 2000, p. 10) repeats a tired argument usually heard from the don't-eat-meat people: that using grain to produce fuel (or meat) somehow takes food out of the mouths of the hungry. Please. The political and economic factors that contribute to world hunger do not include any shortage of grain in the US. The US is awash with grain, at commodity prices so low farmers are lucky to recover their cost of production. (Sound familiar? But farmers have no visible prospect for a crude oil-style price rebound.)
I have used gasohol in my cars for years, they have all run great, and I don't have frozen fuel lines in the winter. And if fuel is going to get spilled, I would rather see ethanol released into the environment than MTBE. Instead of griping about ethanol, the petroleum industry would better spend its energy learning to profitably adapt to this proven, made-in-America product.
Don Stursma
Oskaloosa, Iowa
