is extracted from corn through an energy-inefficient manner. However, ethanol would not even be used if it were not for subsidies provided to the agricultural industry. Marc Ross does point out that "Ethanol and other liquid fuels extracted from renewable plants will be a serious contender on the fuel market only when improvements in the technology allow use of the woody plant material" (Ross, 1998. p. 96). Methanol is another alternative fuel that is being researched. Kenneth Derr suggests that despite its popularity a few years ago, in actuality, methanol does not provide any environmental benefits over reformulated gasoline. The gas is highly toxic and can be damaging to humans who ingest or inhale it. Methanol is also quite expensive compared to other fuels being considered for the market (Derr, 1994. p. 31). One last negative aspect of methanol is that it completely mixes with water so a spill into water would present a serious problem to aquatic life (Knott, 1995. p. 26).
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