Jay Hancock

The subsidies certainly aren't doing Maryland any good. Fort Meade Chevron owner Falls says Midwest distributors crank up his E85 cost because they know the Fort Meade government fleet is required to buy a certain amount of alternative fuel - no matter what the price.

He makes only 5 or 7 cents a gallon, he says.

So get this straight: As a taxpayer you're subsidizing the ethanol business to the tune of close to $2 billion so they can sell it to you, the taxpayer - via the National Security Agency at Fort Meade - at inflated prices. U.S. ethanol policy is still more about getting votes for Midwestern congressmen than doing anything about the energy problem.