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Corn ethanol is not solution to energy independence mongabay.com July 18, 2007
The report, The Rush to Ethanol: Not all BioFuels are Equal, reviews recent scientific studies on the environmental and economic implications of replacing fossil fuel production with corn ethanol. It found that corn ethanol is neither realistic nor productive source of biofuel. "Dedicating the entire U.S. corn crop to ethanol production would only offset 15 percent of gasoline demand," explained a statement release by the Network for New Energy Choices, one of the groups that sponsored the report. "Conversely, modest increases in auto fuel efficiency standards of even one mile per gallon for all cars and light trucks, such as those passed by the Senate last month could cut petroleum consumption by more than all alternative fuels and replacement fuels combined." Further, says the report, at best corn ethanol will only reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 18 percent to 28 percent relative to gasoline. In comparison, cellulosic ethanol is expected to offer a reduction of 87 percent. Corn ethanol also presents health and pollution concerns.
"Rural communities won't benefit from the Farm Bill becoming a fuel bill. In the long run, family farmers and the environment will be losers, while agribusiness, whose political contributions are fueling the ethanol frenzy, will become the winners," said Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, a group that also underwrote the research. The report recommends specific revisions to the 2007 Farm Bill, including tying biofuels promotion policies to the sustainability of the feedstock, eliminating subsidies for coal-fired ethanol refineries, and offering lLoan guarantees for refineries owned directly by farmers and rural communities -- not agribusiness giants. The Vermont Law School Institute for Energy and the Environment also backed the report. The Rush to Ethanol: Not all BioFuels are Equal Related articles Beyond high food prices, little to show for $11B/yr in biofuel support, says OECD report (7/17/2008) Government support of biofuel production in rich countries is squandering vast amounts of amounts of money while exacerbating the global food crisis and failing to meaningfully curb greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy security, alleges a new report from the OECD, the club of industrialized nations. Using farm waste for ethanol may hurt crop yields in some areas (7/15/2008) Cellulosic ethanol proponents have pushed the idea of using farm waste as a way to boost biofuel production without impacting food crops, but such conversion may carry a hidden cost in areas with insufficient rainfall or lacking irrigation, warns a soil scientist from Washington State University. Britain urges 'cautious approach' on biofuels (7/7/2008) Britain and the E.U. should exercise caution in pushing for wider use of biofuels, warns a new study commissioned by the U.K. government. Clean energy gold rush in 2007 (7/1/2008) New investment in renewables and energy efficiency surpassed $148 billion in 2007, rising 60 percent rise from 2006, according to an analysis issued Tuesday July 1 by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). High oil prices drove the trend. Brazil fines 24 ethanol producers for illegal forest clearing (7/1/2008) Brazil fined two dozen ethanol producers accused of illegal clearing the country's endangered Mata Atlântica or Atlantic rainforest, reports The Associated Press. Comments? News options News index | RSS | Add to MyYahoo! Advertisements: Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing |
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