Obama's Ag Sec. shows ethanol's importance to new administration

The king of corn?

Energy security has been an important part of President-Elect Obama's agenda. As a Senator in Illinois, Obama was a strong ethanol supporter, despite the many negative environmental criticisms of corn-based ethanol. Thus, his pick of Tom Vilsack, a huge corn-based ethanol supporter, seems to indicate that ethanol will continue to play a critical role in Obama's energy policy.

I've been pretty enthused by Obama's Elect days and many of his cabinet picks, but I do find Obama's support of corn-based ethanol alarming. A tempered approach to corn-based ethanol is supportable as a path to cellulosic ethanol, but I doubt Vilsack will support anything but an increase in the production and use of corn-based ethanol.