Myths And Facts About The Renewable Fuel Standard

by Kevin Kalhoefer and Denise Robbins (Media Matters) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that it will delay its decision about the 2014 levels for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which requires oil refiners to blend renewable fuels into the nation's gasoline supply. The announcement has drawn criticism from opponents who want the EPA to lessen or eliminate the RFS, and the media are recycling debunked myths about the mandate. Here are the facts.
Does The Ethanol Mandate Increase Food Prices?
Is Ethanol Harmful To Your Vehicle?
Is Renewable Fuel Better Or Worse For The Environment?
Does The Renewable Fuel Industry Receive Disproportionate Amounts Of Subsidies?
...
FACT: Ethanol Production Does Not Divert Food Or Raise Prices
CBO Report: RFS Will Not Significantly Alter Food Prices. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analyzed how the RFS will impact the economy beyond 2014 and determined that it will have no significant impact on food prices. The CBO also stated that if the standards were increased to meet the initially proposed requirements by 2017, it would result in increased spending on food by just one-quarter of 1 percent: ...
...
FACT: Rigorous Studies Show That Ethanol Does Not Harm Engines
DOE: Industry-Funded Study Claiming Ethanol Hurts Engines Is "Significantly Flawed." Patrick B. Davis, the manager of the Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Program, published an article critiquing the CRC study that found E15 and E20 (a gasoline blend with 20 percent ethanol) hurt auto engines. The DOE concluded that the study was "significantly flawed" because it did not establish a proper control group and that it cherry-picked vehicles "already known to have durability issues" (emphasis original): ...
...
FACT: Ethanol Emits Less Pollution, Is Better For Climate Than Conventional Fuel
Corn-Based Ethanol Produces Less Greenhouse Gas Emissions Over Full Life Cycle. A 2012 study by the Argonne National Laboratory conducted a life cycle analysis, which assesses the environmental impacts of all stages of a product's usage from extraction to disposal, and found that renewable fuels ultimately have a lower environmental impact than conventional fuels. The study determined that corn-based ethanol has achieved a lower climate change impact than gasoline, with emission reductions of up to 48 percent. Green Car Congress quoted from the study: ...
And Cellulosic Ethanol Is Even Better, Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Up To 95 Percent. The Argonne Lab study further found that cellulosic ethanol, a type of fuel made from grasses or agricultural waste such as corn stalks, achieves the "greatest energy and GHG emission benefits" out of all the biofuels included in their study. The report analyzed cellulosic ethanol made from corn stover, switchgrass, and miscanthus and found that the resulting ethanol can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 95 percent: ...
Increasing The Level Of Ethanol In Gasoline Reduces Smog And Risk Of Cancer. Life Cycle Associates, a business and environmental consulting firm, conducted a literature review of previous studies to perform a meta-analysis of the change in emissions that results when vehicles switch from E10 to E15. The study found that switching from E10 gasoline to E15 would reduce the amount of cancer-causing carcinogens emitted, resulting in an estimated 6.6 percent reduction in cancer risk. The report further found that switching to E15 reduces the smog-forming potential of gasoline and greenhouse gas emissions. From the report: ...
...
FACT: Fossil Energy Subsidies Far Outweigh Renewable Fuel Subsidies
Oil And Gas Have Received The Majority Of Federal Support Historically -- $490 Billion Total. An analysis by Management Information Services for the Nuclear Energy Institute, an organization affiliated with the nuclear industry, found that oil and gas have received "almost 60 percent ($490 billion) of federal spending to support energy since 1950. Oil alone received three-fourths ($369 billion) of this amount": ... READ MORE