Beware: On the energy front, gushers of disinformation lately have been erupting. One example:
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez he’s concerned that so much U.S.-produced corn could be used to make biofuel, instead of feeding the world’s poor. Chavez says the corn needed to fill an average car with ethanol would be enough to feed seven people for a year.
But Robert Zubrin, author of “Energy Victory,” notes:
Actually, since a bushel of corn yields 2.8 gallons of ethanol, the corn needed to fill a 20 gallon SUV tank is 7 bushels, which at the current market price of $5/bushel, costs a total of $35. According to Mr. Chavez, then, the cost of feeding one person for a year is $5.
Surely, Chavez wouldn’t lie to us to promote his own interests?