In 2001, only 7 percent of America’s corn crop, about 707 million bushels, was used to make ethanol fuel for vehicles. By 2010, nearly 40 percent of American corn went for ethanol — almost 5 billion bushels out of total U.S. production of 12.4 billion bushels.

Ethanol supporters claim it reduces American dependence on foreign oil, but Cornell University scientists calculated that even if the entire American crop was used for ethanol, it would satisfy less than 4 percent of our oil consumption.

And the Environmental Protection Agency has downplayed assertions that ethanol provides a cleaner source of energy than gasoline, saying it “has a minimal to negative impact on the environment,” according to The Journal.

“At a time when the world will need more corn and grains, it makes no sense to devote scarce farmland to make a fuel that exists only because of taxpayer subsidies and mandates.

Ethanol Fuel from Corn Faulted as ‘Unsustainable Subsidized Food Burning’