in another study from Cornell so definitely take it with a grain or even a cobb of corn

"A Cornell University study that appeared in the journal Natural Resources Research in July 2005 found that producing ethanol from plants such as corn, sunflowers and soybeans uses more energy than the fuel generates.

In terms of energy output compared with the amount of energy required to produce ethanol, the study found:

* Corn requires 29 per cent more fossil energy than the fuel produced.
* Switch grass requires 45 per cent more fossil energy than the fuel produced.
* Wood biomass requires 57 per cent more fossil energy than the fuel produced.

Critics of the Cornell study argue that the researchers used outdated data to come to their conclusions. One of the researchers - Prof. David Piementel - had looked at ethanol's energy efficiency in the past and concluded it wasn't worth the effort. However, there's also a long list of studies that have found that the production of ethanol results in a net gain in energy - between 34 and 75 per cent. "