Aging & Wisdom Quote by Mike May

“Renewable ethanol” isn’t just a fuel choice here; it’s a story of control. Mike May, speaking as a businessman, frames ethanol as “a clear opportunity” not because the chemistry is magical, but because the economics and politics are legible: build it nearby, sell it nearby, keep the money cycling through local plants, farms, and payrolls. The phrasing “grow a significant portion of our own fuel locally” deliberately blurs agriculture and energy into one reassuring image. Fuel becomes something you cultivate, not something you bargain for on a volatile global market.

The real rhetorical engine is the word “hold.” Imported fuels don’t merely supply us; they grip us. That’s a subtle escalation from cost-and-efficiency talk to something closer to dependency language, a soft version of national-security argumentation. It invites listeners to experience filling up their tank as a civic vulnerability, not a routine purchase. “Begin to break” is equally strategic: it lowers the burden of proof. He’s not promising liberation overnight; he’s selling momentum, the first step of a longer decoupling.

Contextually, this line fits neatly into moments when oil prices spike, supply chains wobble, or rural economies want a new anchor industry. It’s also a pitch designed to outflank criticism of ethanol (land use, food vs. fuel, emissions) by relocating the debate from environmental purity to self-reliance and local benefit. The subtext: even if ethanol is imperfect, it’s ours.