Paved with Green Intentions

Biofuels are touted as a planet-friendly substitute for coal and oil. While ethanol (made from corn or sugarcane) and biodiesel (made from soybean or palm oil) burn cleaner and produce less greenhouse gas than fossil fuels do, critics warn that biofuels have their own dark side. Cuba's Fidel Castro even called powering cars with food "sinister" policy, but here's a more level-headed breakdown of the impact and limitations of farming for fuel.

Corn. One-fifth of the U.S. corn crop is now turned into ethanol at 114 biorefineries, located primarily in the Midwest. To meet Bush's 2017 target of producing 35 billion...

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