The production and use of ethanol greatly increases our nation’s ability to be more energy secure. Leaders from every branch of military have recognized that the nation’s addiction to foreign oil presents a very real threat and endangers our national security, economy and environment.
Reducing our nation’s addiction to foreign oil is important not only because of the risk that foreign governments will reduce supplies and raise prices, but also because of the dangers associated with sending money for oil to hostile regions of the world.
Here are a few ethanol and energy security facts:
- As ethanol use has grown, dependence on imported petroleum has continued to decline. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2024 imports made up just 17% of the U.S. energy supply, the lowest share in nearly 40 years, down from over 60% in 2005.
Graph courtesy of U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Secretary of the U.S. Navy Ray Mabus stated, “When we did an examination of the vulnerabilities of the Navy and Marine Corps, fuel rose to the top of the list pretty fast. We simply buy too much fossil fuel from actual and potentially volatile places. We would never allow some of these countries we buy fuel from to build our ships, our aircraft, our ground vehicles – but because we depend on them for fuel, we give them a say in whether our ships sail, our aircraft fly, our ground vehicles operate.”
- The U.S. spends between $27 and $138 billion a year on military operations securing the safe delivery of oil from the Persian Gulf, the equivalent of an extra $1.17 per gallon of gasoline.
- U.S. ethanol growth has reduced oil imports from the Persian Gulf region by 25% since 2005, however an increase in oil prices has more than offset the decline in import volumes.
- According to the Congressional Research Service, $46.6 billion in tax expenditures has been granted to fossil fuels 1977-2010, and more than $130 billion in government subsidies have gone to the oil industry from 1968-2000, as detailed by the U.S. General Accounting Office.
For more information on ethanol and energy security, please visit Renewable Fuels Association’s energy security fact sheet by clicking here.
Ethanol’s Energy Balance
While there is a great deal of misinformation on the energy balance of ethanol, credible sources, like the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), consistently point out that ethanol maintains a positive energy balance, and as farming and production facility efficiencies continue to improve, ethanol’s energy balance follows.
The Department of Energy states, “In terms of fossil energy, each gallon of ethanol produced from corn today delivers one-third or more energy than is used to produce it.”
The graph below shows how much fossil energy is required to provide 1 BTU of each fuel at the pump. The graph does not reflect energy derived from solar or other renewable sources used in the production of ethanol.
Chart courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy
According to a 2024 study by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), ethanol returns 2.8 BTUs for every 1 BTU of energy inputs. By comparison, conventional gasoline returns only 0.8 BTUs for every BTU of energy inputs.
To learn more form the Department of Energy on the energy balance of ethanol, please click here.