According to this article , former North Dakota governor and now Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer spoke out for ethanol during a rural economic develpment conference in Bismarck.

In North Dakota, Schafer is well known for his efforts to increase high-speed internet connections across the state that allow for telemedicine and like programs in very rural areas.  Ethanol production seems to be an issue, too.  From the article:

Since he became agriculture secretary in January, Schafer has fought arguments that ethanol production is chiefly to blame for rising food prices because of the industry’s demands on the nation’s corn crop.

“Things have become apparent that while ethanol production … is a factor in increased (food) prices, it’s not the driving factor,” Schafer said in remarks to reporters. “Energy, and increased consumption globally, are the issues here that are pushing the show.” 

Ethanol may make a good scapegoat in the face of rising prices, but blame never seems to help.  The truth is, it’s a good idea to think about alternative fuels like ethanol and wind energy.  It’s good to discuss how we can develop clean and renewable resources. 

It’s just not wise to mandate changes that we don’t have enough information on–including what the unintended consequences may be.  Schafer may be trying to say that we need to get a wider view of the entire picture before we write ethanol off.

It will be interesting to see if anything comes of this.