Your Oct. 17 editorial "Ethanol's Water Shortage" obfuscates the need for domestic energy solutions by torturing data and attempting to stir up those ugly polictical fights it warns about. 
    No doubt, it takes water to make ethanol. Just as it takes water-about 1,851 gallons-to refine one barrel of crude oil, according to the Institute of Food and Agricutural Services at the University of Florida. For more perspective on water use about 183 gallons a day, and an average-sized Sunday newspaper slurps up 150 gallons of industrial water per day----twice what the average ethanol plant uses in a year. Who's holding your feet to the fire?
    That thirsty corn plant gives water back. As a corn plant grows, it transpires water, releasing it into the atmosphere and starting the hydrologic cycle all over again. According the U.S. Geological Survey, an acre of corn gives off 3,000-4,000 gallons of water each day through transpiration.
    What do Americans get in return for the water used to grow a bushel of corn? A bushel produces nearly three gallons of ethanol and 18 pounds of distillers' grains that can be fed to livestock. Or it can be used to make 68 boxes of cereal. Or it can be turned into 22.4 pounds of corn-based plastic, which is environmentally friendly than petroleum-based plastic. 
    Growers are on the brink of delivering the largest U.S. corn crop on record---providing enough corn for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. And they're doing it responsibly.

Article from:
The Wall Street Journal Oct. 26th 2007