The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is warning the public not to start their own home ethanol plants. A notice on the TTB website says “it is illegal to distill alcohol without first obtaining a Federal permit” from the TTB. The notice is in response to “several news items on people distilling ethanol at home to supplement their gasoline needs.” Those wishing to distill alcohol at home are invited to contact TTB to apply for a permit, but I would bet it’s no easy process, since they note there “may also be additional permitting requirements and other restrictions on the state and local level.”