USDA developing barley-based ethanol

You might soon be able to enjoy a brewsky on a hot summer day with your car, thanks to research being done by the USDA on barley-based ethanol. Ethanol is usually corn-based because corn is easy to mill and has a high starch content that yields more ethanol. USDA researchers apparently don't care that barley doesn't have these properties and are attempting to produce a variety that does.
This article mentions no reason why the USDA would go to all the trouble of developing an alternative to corn-based ethanol with what appears to be an inferior source. Is the brewing lobby in Washington really that powerful? And, most importantly, does this mean my car won't be able to pass a Breathalyzer test either?