How does ethanol affect American dependence on foreign oil imports?

Proponents of ethanol mandates often point out that its usage provides a direct benefit by reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign oil imports.
The TRUTH is that increasing ethanol production would not significantly reduce U.S. oil imports or provide any significant energy security benefit:
- Each gallon of gasoline blended with ethanol has less energy in it, reducing the amount of petroleum product displacement.
- There also are refinery volume losses associated with ethanol-ready blendstocks in RVP-controlled areas.
- Significant fossil fuel use is required to produce ethanol.
- Producing EtOH at the 7.5 billion gallon/year level of the national RFS would replace less than 0.5% of net U.S. oil and gas imports in 2012.

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