How important a role can alternative energy play in replacing imported oil over the next five years?
Given that oil is used mainly in the transportation sector, it will be very difficult for alternative energy to replace imported oil in the next few years. In 2006, the United States produced 319,000 b/d of ethanol (4.9 billion gallons a year), mainly from corn. However, current U.S. ethanol production is but a small fraction of the 9.7 million b/d of gasoline fuel used in the United States currently during the peak summer driving season. About 6 billion gallons of ethanol are needed in the United States to replace methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) as a fuel additive, which would allow refiners to comply with clean air regulations for reformulated fuels. Thus, current ethanol production is not yet significantly replacing gasoline per se, but replacing additives that are being removed from the fuel system. Ethanol production is targeted to reach 15.2 billion gallons a year or close to 1 million b/d by 2012 under the new 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. In order for ethanol to
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