IN THE July 14 editorial "Fuel for thought," the Globe promulgated the myth that biofuels, like ethanol, are significantly raising food costs around the world. While ethanol has become a convenient scapegoat, it accounts for only about 3 percent of the increase in food prices, according to the chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
The primary reason that food prices have increased is skyrocketing oil costs. Higher oil prices not only drive up costs for farming, but they also add to the costs for transporting and packaging food. These are costs that ethanol helps to offset by keeping gasoline prices down by as much as 50 cents a gallon.
Our nation is at a crossroads, and our energy policy is an integral part of our future well-being. I am proud to say that Burke Oil recently opened its first E85 ethanol station, the first such fueling station in Massachusetts, at our facility in Chelsea. We believe ethanol is a key step along the path to realizing the possibilities of alternative energy sources.
ED BURKE
Chairman
Dennis K. Burke Inc.
Chelsea
