Bill Maher says "Brazil got off oil in the last 30 years."

"Brazil got off oil in the last 30 years."
Bill Maher on Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 in an interview on ABC News' 'This Week'

Condensed story from 2009 Pulitzer prize winner, Politifact.com Click here for Full Story.

Bill Maher is a comedian and host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher.

Conservative columnist George Will challenged Maher about Brazil. "Could you just explain to me in what sense has Brazil got off oil?"

"I believe they did," Maher said. "I believe in the 70's they had a program to use sugarcane ethanol, and I believe that is what fuels their country."

"I think they still burn a lot of oil and have a lot of offshore (drilling)," Will said.

Brazil does produce a lot of sugarcane ethanol, as Maher said.

"Brazil is one of the largest producers of ethanol in the world and is the largest exporter of the fuel," according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But in 2008, Brazil ranked No. 7 on the list of the world's countries that consume the most oil, using about 2.5 million barrels per day. In first place was the United States at 19.5 million barrels per day, followed by China, Japan, India, Russia, and Germany, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Brazil also produces a lot of oil through drilling near its coasts. In recent years, Brazil's state-controlled energy company Petrobras announced a major new find of oil in some of the deepest waters where exploration is conducted, some 7,000 feet below in the Atlantic Ocean.

Maher was likely remembering Brazil's aggresive efforts to promote ethanol, But Maher said, "Brazil got off oil in the last 30 years." Actually, Brazil still consumes a great deal of oil. It's also embarking on more offshore drilling in some of the deepest waters for exploration.

So Bill Maher --- Are you Kidding?