From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Energy Independence and ethanol.

Hello again, I'm Mormon Olney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International,

a daily look at the issues Americans count about most.

One day after his State of the Union address, President Bush was on the road pushing energy independence by way of alternative fuels.

Ethanol production would be increased five times on the way to reducing consumption of gasoline by 20% in the next 10 years.

On to the point, American voters expect there is ethanol in their future, but there are plenty

of not-so-hidden costs.

Will corn-based ethanol deplete the food supply?

What about greenhouse gases from ethanol and other alternatives, like oil shale and coal?

Is conservation a better solution?

On reporter's notebook later on, the perfect crime on the Internet. First, the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio

International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John

D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Hello again, Warren, I'm only, back with To the Point. The President's call for energy independence through alternative fuels is popular in the farm states on Wall Street and with the American people.

On To the Point, what are the downsides of ethanol? We'll hear about the food supply, greenhouse gases, and government subsidies.

Is conservation really the best way to cut back on gasoline? On a reporter's notebook, there is

low risk and high profit in hacking the internet. We'll hear how millions of computers can be

secretly linked for nefarious purposes with botnets. First, this news update a year ago, the Ford Motor Company lost $74 million.

Today, Ford announced it is in the red by $12.7 billion. Last year was the worst in the company's

history. John McElroy is host of Autoline Detroit. It airs on public television in the Detroit area

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