VOA常速英语2007-Corn-Derived Ethanol Shares Blame for Food Price

By Greg Flakus
Houston
16 October 2007

In recent months food costs in the United States have gone up by well over six percent and some economists² see government-mandated use of bio-fuels as a key reason. But, as VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Houston, both agriculture representatives and energy experts say development of such fuels will be necessary to feed an energy-starved world economy.

At the Bio-fuels conference here in Houston Monday, oil industry executives, venture capitalists and bio-fuel industry representatives focused on the future of renewable energy from the farm belt. With the price of oil rising almost daily and fears that world production will not be able to keep up with demand, experts are looking at every kind of alternative energy including ethanol and bio-diesel. But rising food costs associated with these fuels have raised concerns about their long-term viability³.

Among conference speakers was John Ashworth of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, who told VOA the ethanol industry's reliance on corn has had some noticeable impact on food prices, especially meat.

"Because grain is valuable, when you take a good chunk⁴ of that supply out for making fuels, you are going to have upward pressure on the price of the raw material. Particularly for the cattle industry, which uses a lot of corn, when the price of corn goes up, then the price of beef is going to go up," he said.

But Ashworth doubts there will be a food-or-fuel choice facing humankind in years ahead. He notes that his research and most of the research being done by private bio-fuel companies looks beyond corn to so-called cellulosic feedstock, which basically means using waste material to produce fuel.

"All the research we are doing is not on corn, but on corn stover (leaves and stalk) or on wood chips or on lower-cost raw materials and I think that is where the industry will have to go," he said.

Rising consumer food prices have also had an impact on Congress, source of the subsidies⁵ which support the ethanol industry and the bills that require the use of more than 26 million liters of renewable fuels for transportation by 2012. Pearce Hammond, Vice⁶ President of Institutional Research for the Houston-based Simmons Company, says Congress may scale back support for ethanol.

"Ethanol used to be sort of a slam dunk in Washington. It is not anymore," he said. "The level of support has eroded⁷ a bit. That said, we have about 21 farm states, so you have about 42 senators who are automatically going to line up for this. I think you will see an extension, but maybe the generosity⁸ of the subsidies will be dialed back a bit."

Most farm region economists dispute the notion that ethanol is primarily to blame for the rise in food prices, noting that increased energy costs have played a role as have droughts that reduced production elsewhere. Many bio-fuel industry supporters say Congress should examine the long-term benefits of developing this alternative source of energy.

James Richardson, an agricultural economist¹ at Texas A and M University, speaking with VOA by phone, says government mandates⁹ that favor ethanol have produced the cash needed for research and development on next generation fuels.

"Renewable fuel standards have two edges on the sword. It does increase acreage to corn right now, but it is going to provide the necessary R and D funds (research and development funds) for these new processes, which could reduce the amount of corn used for ethanol," he said.

He also argues that government subsidies that support ethanol production are cost effective overall for the U.S. government in that they reduce the amount that would be paid to farmers if corn prices went into steep decline.

"Currently we are spending about $2 billion a year on a subsidy¹⁰ for ethanol production, two and a half, approaching $3 billion a year on ethanol subsidies and there are estimates that this is saving probably $5 billion to $6 billion in government payments to farmers," he said.

Richardson and many other economists argue that support for ethanol and other bio-fuels could reap great benefits ten years or so down the road when processes are fully¹¹ developed that utilize¹² non-grain feedstocks to produce fuel. Most of the new investment in the bio-fuel industry now is being channeled to development of these new methods and new products, like butanol, an alcohol-based fuel that has greater energy density¹³ than ethanol and can be transported more easily. Industry spokesmen say all these new fuels will be badly needed as the world grows ever more hungry for energy.

1 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

2 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 viability   

n.存活(能力)

参考例句：

• What is required to achieve or maintain such viability? 要达到或维持这种生存能力需要什么？
• Scientists are experimenting to find ways to ensure the viability of seeds for even longer periods of time. 正如我们所说，科学家正在试验努力寻找让种子的生命力更加延长的方法。

4 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

5 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

8 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

9 mandates   

托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
• While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处，我不是授权软件的支持者。

10 subsidy   

n.补助金，津贴

参考例句：

• The university will receive a subsidy for research in artificial intelligence.那个大学将得到一笔人工智能研究的补助费。
• The living subsidy for senior expert's family is included in the remuneration.报酬已包含高级专家家人的生活补贴。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。

13 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。