What I learned about ethanol

I have never been impressed with the reports about ethanol and it has never made much sense to me to use food for fuel. So what I learned from a friend of mine about ethanol usage and car mileage got me thinking: Who is really being served by ethanol?

My friend bought a Prius well over a year ago and in the beginning was very happy with her mileage. Now, however, she is experiencing a rather sizable decline in miles to the gallon; as much as 10 miles to the gallon less than in the first year. After asking around she found that car mechanics are aware of the problem and she learned that the mix of ethanol in gasoline is decreasing mileage.

I wonder why I have not heard much about this in the news. I see lots of blog entries when I google the issue. And I do not notice any major change in my mileage over the past year or so; Although I have always noticed slightly lower mileage during the winter months. Could it be the decrease is more noted in the Prius because the car provides a readout of your gas usage? Are hybrids more sensitive to the mix of ethanol in a blended gasoline?

In a simple google search I found older articles and blog posts (2006) concerning lower mileage blamed on ethanol/gasoline mixes. But a blog called American Fuels provided more recent and scientific data. In summary, this is what it says:
-ethanol has fewer btu's than unmixed gasoline
-gasoline varies in its percentages in btu's (as much as 3.4-4.5%)
-summer gasoline has higher btu's than winter gasoline
-ethanol btu is constant

I think the blog is interesting and I like the variety of links he has listed. For example, I read a posting a year ago about algae being used as a fuel source and this blogger has included it as one of his blog posts.