Corn Ethanol Is Worse Than Keystone

[Purveyor]

Jun 2, 2015 8:00 AM EDT
By Robert Bryce

For years, environmental activists have opposed the Keystone XL pipeline, claiming that development of Canada’s oil sands will be “game over for the climate.” But if those same activists are sincere about climate change, why aren’t they getting arrested outside the White House to protest the use of corn ethanol?

That’s a pertinent question, given a new analysis from the Environmental Working Group, which finds that corn ethanol produces more carbon dioxide than Keystone XL would -- presuming, of course, that the pipeline ever gets built. Making the issue even more relevant, last Friday, the EPA outlined new requirements for the minimum amounts of ethanol that retailers must blend into their gasoline.

--clip
Now back to climate change and ethanol. In a May 29 report, Emily Cassidy, a research analyst at EWG, says that “last year’s production and use of 14 billion gallons of corn ethanol resulted in 27 million tons more carbon emissions than if Americans had used straight gasoline in their vehicles.” She continues, “That’s worse than Keystone’s projected emissions.” (Another environmental group, Natural Resources Defense Council, has estimated that Keystone XL would increase carbon dioxide emissions by about 24 million tons per year.)

In a graphic comparing corn ethanol with standard gasoline and fuel produced from the oil sands, Cassidy shows that the carbon intensity of corn ethanol is about 120 grams of carbon-dioxide equivalent per megajoule of energy produced. That’s about 20 percent more than standard gasoline and about 10 percent more than that produced by the oil sands.

Cassidy concludes:

So far the federal corn ethanol mandate has resulted in a massive influx of dirty corn ethanol, which is bad for the climate and bad for consumers. The only interest it benefits is the ethanol industry.

more...

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-06-02/corn-ethanol-is-worse-than-keystone

[NYC_SKP]

1. Begun in earnest during the Bush admin, ethanol was a huge gift to the Corn Lobby....

I got in trouble one day back in 2007 during a presentation when asked what I thought about ethanol by an attendee during Q&A.

I slipped and said that "If George Bush is a big fan of something in the energy world, it might not be a good thing for the climate."

I am supposed to be apolitical, but on that matter my tongue slipped.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. How do our candidates stand on it?

Google Fu says: (note that I am not selecting sources, but merely listing the top 5 responses google returns for (name corn ethanol) where name is 'Hillary Clinton', 'Bernie Sanders', 'Martin O'Malley'.)

HRC
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/hillary-clinton-wades-into-corn-ethanol-debate/article/2565267
http://www.nationaljournal.com/2016-elections/hillary-clinton-ethanol-mandate-20150528
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-06-02/corn-ethanol-is-worse-than-keystone
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/04/15/hillary-clinton-back-ethanol-iowa/
http://hotair.com/archives/2015/05/29/hillarys-olympic-grade-flip-flop-on-ethanol-is-complete/

BS
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/229794-senators-introduce-amendment-to-end-ethanol-mandate
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/bernie-sanders-billionaire-class-a-formidable-obstacle-in-elections/article/2556267
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/epa-biofuels-announcement-corn-118410.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-05-29/epa-cuts-mandates-for-corn-ethanol-with-overdue-renewables-quota-ia9q06do
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2015/03/23/welch-bill-end-corn-ethanol-mandate/70329762/

MOM
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/229794-senators-introduce-amendment-to-end-ethanol-mandate
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/230267-the-ongoing-attack-on-ethanol
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-06-02/martin-o-malley-s-presidential-campaign-matters
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-09-20/news/bs-ed-renewable-fuel-20120920_1_rfs-renewable-fuels-renewable-energy
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/martin-omalley-dodges-hillary-clinton-email-questions/article/2561446

[Purveyor]

5. Interesting and thanks for pulling that all together... eom

[MADem]

11. Unless I missed it, Senator Sanders is not even mentioned

In any of the links you ascribe to him...?

The Baltimore Sun article is the only one addressing MO'M 's POV on this issue.

[Buzz Clik]

3. This is such rank bullshit that it defies anything resembling sentient thought.

There are some grains of truth in that article: ethanol is not as energy efficient as gasoline when you normalize the comparisons.

But coal is pretty damned energy efficient, too. And gasification of coal produces an incredibly clean burning fuel -- and a huge fucking mess. Coal tar from coal gasification is a legacy that lives on, nearly 100 years after gasification plants closed.

Tar sands are no different. Yes, they can generate "clean" fuel, but tars are energy inefficient and leave a huge mess.

Is ethanol from corn our savior? Oh, hell no -- but not for the bullshit reasons given in the article.

[cprise]

8. Its BS with a Strawman

The strawman being that environmentalists are psychic and know years in advance what a "new study" (as the article states) will contain. We supposedly absorb the innate truth about agriculture from all that time we spend hugging plants.

Supposedly, we are also in love with big ag (because they produce leafy green things) and all of the many detractors of corn ethanol (and, really, corn in general) that we see in forums like E/E don't exist.

So, basically, the thrust of the article is anti-environment trolling.

BTW, ethanol was seen as a necessary replacement for the toxic gasoline additive MTBE so that smog in some smog-prone regions could be reduced. And for many years, corn was the surest way to get it.

[Nitram]

4. Another problem with corn ethanol, besides the carbon footprint...

...is the fact that farmers are removing trees along streams to grow more corn. Not a climate change issue, but the result is damage to streams and water pollution.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

6. And, of course, it takes acreage out of food production, and drives up food costs and feed costs. nt

[4dsc]

7. Fuel for food is immoral

I don't support corn based ethanol one bit and I live in Iowa.

[yurbud]

9. make it from something else then, algae, canola, whatever

[MADem]

10. Can they make it from hemp? That stuff grows anywhere!

Even in crop-crappy fields....

[yurbud]

12. if it has carbs or sugar in it, you can make alcohol out of it.

If it has oil in it, you can make biodiesel, and run it in an unmodified diesel engine.

[MADem]

13. Hemp has oil in it, doesn't it? nt