http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/study-ethanol-better-for-environment-than-thought-20170112
Study: Ethanol better for environment than thought
USDA analysis comes amid worries over level of Trump team's support
Jan 12, 2017 at 10:42 pm
Gazette staff and wires
WASHINGTON — Ethanol made from corn is better for the environment than
previously thought, the U.S. government said Thursday in a study
boosting the nation’s biggest biofuel a week ahead of a new
administration that has some advocates worried.
The report, the first of its kind from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture to examine the actual impact of ethanol, said the biofuel
reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent relative to gasoline —
significantly more than the 21 percent estimated by the Environmental
Protection Agency in 2010.
That marks a potential blow to critics who have questioned whether
ethanol, the foundation of the country’s biofuels program, is better for
the environment than petroleum-based fuels.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, long a supporter of ethanol, said the study
clinches it for doubters.
“Over the years, I’ve worked tirelessly to debunk the many myths about
corn ethanol,” the Iowa Republican said in a statement. “One such myth
is that conventional ethanol is no cleaner than gasoline. This report
completely and definitively settles the debate regarding the positive
environmental benefits of conventional corn ethanol.”
The analysis, prepared for USDA by Washington consultancy ICF
International, comes just a week ahead of the inauguration of
President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump voiced support for ethanol on the campaign trail — especially in
Iowa, the nation’s largest producer of ethanol — but at least two of the
major players in the incoming administration are critics of the biofuels
program and environmental regulations.
The Renewable Fuel Standard was signed into law by President George W.
Bush in 2005 and sets annual requirements for used of biofuels including
ethanol. It has become a battleground for entrenched oil and corn
interests in Washington.
Uncertainty over the future of the program grew after Trump nominated
Oklahoma Attorney General and regulation critic Scott Pruitt to head the
EPA.
Grassley said that last week he convened a meeting with Pruitt and other
senators “to convey the importance of biofuels to job creation, energy
security, the environment and meeting the country’s significant energy
needs.”
Trump has also appointed Renewable Fuel Standard critic Carl Icahn as an
adviser and nominated former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a petroleum industry
advocate, as Energy Secretary.
The study found less land use was dedicated to ethanol production than
expected but corn yields have risen. It compared the biofuel with 2005
gasoline, before regular blending of the fuel with ethanol. Now, most
biofuel gas is blended with about 10 percent ethanol.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement that the “report
provides evidence that corn ethanol can be a GHG-friendly alternative to
fossil fuels, while boosting farm economies.”
The analysis forecasts the emissions reductions to rise to 50 percent by
2022 if trends in corn yields, fuel switching and efficiency continue.
