In honor of local resident Ray Wallace, who dedicates part of his life filling the greenmesh email inbox with reasons why corn based ethanol production is a mistake in the US., I dedicate today as Ethanol reality day.

Why this alternative fuel has gained so much momentum in production is a formulation of political incentives and feeding an existing ethanol (read commodities and entrenched profit models) infrastructure. The reality is that there seems to be not much good for the general public not to mention the overall environmental impact and benefit as an alternative fuel.

"There's a low level of interest in E85, a low level of understanding," Louis Sheetz, the Altoona-based company's executive vice president of marketing, said Tuesday at a forum on the fuel at Carnegie Mellon University. "It will be a gradual learning experience for consumers."

More than a year after Sheetz gas stations and stores in Monroeville, Pleasant Hills and Robinson switched diesel pumps over to the blend, each of the three locations is selling less than half the volume that those pumps turned out before they were converted to E85.

Sheetz and representatives of General Motors Corp., the state Department of Environmental Protection and Steel City Biofuels took part in the program hosted by the university's Green Design Institute, in order to talk up E85. pittsburghlive.com

I try to find something good about corn to ethanol production. The consequences of the execution of the production of this fuel will eventually sour the American public to the concept of biofuels at a time when marketing acceptance of biofuels in general is more important then the fuel itself.

Ray, take it from here in the comment link... you are better at this than me.