Advanced BioFuels USA

Ethanol: Let’s Ride the Wave–Making Ethanol Part of the “Green Wave” by Debunking Environmental Misinformation.

by Dave VanderGriend (Urban Air Initiative) Now that we are well into the current Congress, it is clear that many new members are riding in on a green wave with a renewed emphasis on climate, carbon and pollution. Committees in the House of Representatives are fighting for attention as they all want to claim the green ground. Sadly, ethanol opponents seem to see this as an opportunity to make sure ethanol is not part of this discussion. There has been an uptick in unsubstantiated, uninformed published opinion pieces accusing ethanol and agriculture of being the problem, not the solution.

It is beyond irony that the money behind many of the so-called environmental groups who are fighting to define what is green or not green is often traced back to the oil industry. Pseudo-environmental groups claiming to save the planet cling to decades-old studies on agriculture and ethanol modeling and refuse to engage in honest debate. In fact, a recent article in a Washington newspaper included a shocking, uninformed statement by a lobbyist for the Environmental Working Group who claimed, “You can’t be for the status quo with ethanol and also be for saving the planet.” He later stated political candidates would be hypocrites by supporting ethanol and claiming to be green.

The true hypocrisy is that some environmental groups, and to some extent the U.S. EPA, refuse to recognize emerging science and data that clearly show the growth of the ethanol industry has ushered in a new era of agriculture productivity that has significantly reduced carbon while increasing food supplies. Domestic ethanol has replaced more than 10 percent of our petroleum-derived gasoline and reduced the carbon that is so much of their focus. Energy and carbon inputs are reduced throughout the full life cycle, including petroleum refineries as they use low-carbon ethanol to raise octane rather than energy-intensive aromatics.

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In addition to simply being wrong, the hypocritical position is to oppose biofuels like ethanol and fail to recognize the overall health hazards and pollution that come from oil. Ethanol is already replacing billions of gallons of benzene and other carcinogenic toxic aromatic compounds in gasoline.

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Urban Air Initiative has challenged EPA to withdraw a consent decree in response to a lawsuit by the Sierra Club that would effectively force an anti-backsliding study to assess the environmental impacts of the Renewable Fuel Standard. There are certain procedures and protocols to this process, and while we welcome a fair assessment of the true impacts on the environment, we want to make sure EPA is using the best available science and information.

So yes, let’s ride this green wave. We have a great story to tell and need to keep telling it. READ MORE

QUOTE OF THE WEEK — Patricia Murphy

“You’d think that the pain that farmers have felt since Trump came into office might leave an opening for Democrats to move into in 2020, but they’ll have to do more than Clinton did in 2016, when her rural policy pitch mostly ignored crop prices, but focused on environmental sustainability, broadband access and clean energy,” wrote Patricia Murphy in one of the The Hill’s most insightful articles about farmers and President Trump. READ MORE

6th Annual Miami Sugar Conference — September 8-10, 2019 — Miami, FL

A regional sugar event designed especially for a North and South American audience The annual S&P Global Platts Miami Sugar