America's petroleum addiction has worsened in the last decade and motorists are paying top dollar for a fix.

Nearly 21 million barrels of oil are used every day in the United States — more than Canada, Japan, China, South Korea and Germany combined.

Skyrocketing crude oil prices, shrinking petroleum reserves and a continued dependence on foreign oil exacerbate the problem.

As the public's attention focuses on this energy crisis, experts have responded with a possible solution: ethanol.

The corn-based fuel is produced less expensively and more efficiently than standard gasoline, but concerns about water use and energy efficiency have some environmentalists distressed.

The U.S. must now weigh the risks and rewards of turning food into fuel.

The process of powering a vehicle with a bushel of corn is no simple task. After kernels are boiled, enzymes turn their starch into sugar. Then, the sugars are fermented and distilled to create etnerated — carbon dioxide and wet distillers grain, which is used as an animal feed.

Much of the controversy surrounding ethanol production comes from the extensive water volume required.

For example, a proposed ethanol plant to be constructed in Ithaca would require some 1,200 gallons of water every minute — 630 million gallons a year, according to a report filed by the plant for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

In comparison, an Ice Mountain water-bottling plant in Stanwood, about nine miles south of Big Rapids, pumps far less — 226 million gallons a year.

At the proposed Ithaca plant, much of the water would be treated and reused, said Alex Sagady, an East Lansing environmental consultant.

But nearly half would evaporate and disappear from the Great Lakes watershed.

"It is just as bad as the bottling plant," Sagady said. "It's not like there is an abundance of water to take out of the watershed."

Bruce Dale, an MSU chemical engineering professor, has researched ethanol production for the last 30 years.

He has worked closely with U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, to bring ethanol to the forefront of science and legislation.

Dale acknowledged it takes 4-5 gallons of water to generate a single gallon of ethanol, but was quick to point out a comparison.

Gasoline requires roughly 40 gallons of water for every gallon of fuel. When compared with that number, ethanol's water consumption seems minuscule at best, he added.

"It's about 10 times as much on a gallon-to-gallon basis," Dale said. "Unless we assume we are not going to put liquid fuels into our cars, then water consumption is not an issue."

Water use is not the only concern some people have with ethanol production. Another objection stems from energy efficiency questions — some believe ethanol creates less energy than is required to make it.

"It's not like these plants are fantastic net energy yielders," Sagady said, adding that they rely heavily on natural gas.

Dale called the efficiency debate "silly," adding that energy gained from one barrel of oil can create 20 barrels of ethanol.

"Converting corn grain to ethanol yields us about 20 times more liquid-fuel energy than the petroleum we use," he said. "It's a phony issue."

In a telephone interview, Rogers said the debate concerns more than just the environment. He called the United States' dependence on foreign oil a national security crisis — something ethanol production could alleviate.

"People are starting to understand how important it is to our national, economic and environmental security," he said. "Ethanol is the first step in a long road to energy independence and environmental improvement."

The U.S. imports the majority of its oil from the Middle East — a war-torn region with unstable ties to the West.

Ethanol production facilities, however, are fueled by natural gas. Unlike petroleum, it comes from Canada and Mexico.

"Instead of relying on foreign oil, the ethanol plants are large consumers of natural gas," Sagady said. "We are getting into a position where very shortly, we will be serious importers of natural gas from other countries."

Rogers and Dale agreed potential problems associated with natural gas aren't serious enough to halt ethanol production.

"People have to become realistic. There aren't any fuels out there that have no environmental impact," Dale said. "If we are going to make intelligent choices as a society, we have to look at our options.

"People get all bent and twisted on this, that and the other thing. They lose sight of the real problem, which is oil dependence."

Besides, Rogers said, ethanol production is its in early stages of development, and in the future, creating ethanol will be much cleaner and more efficient.

"Every time you take a step, you can't find every single fault or else you don't move forward," he said. "We are going to get to a place where there are zero emissions, it's all going to be renewable and we are going to have great economies because of it."

And that's what Dale is working toward. In his MSU lab, he experiments with alternative ways to make ethanol — switching from corn to grass clippings and wood chips. With further research, he said, the cost and environmental impact of producing ethanol will fall.

With ethanol-producing facilities now in 19 states, criticism is reaching its threshold.

Dale is getting frustrated.

"If they have a solution, I'm willing to listen," he said. "We have a real problem on our hands. You cannot run a modern economy without liquid fuels."

Brendan Bouffard can be reached at bouffar2@msu.edu.