WASHINGTON, DC — In response to the recent report issued by the World Resources Institute (WRI), Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, released the following statement:
“The World Resources Institute’s latest report repackages old, previously debunked food and fuel, as well as Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) myths in attempts to discredit an American success story, one that is producing both food and fuel, while also improving our environment. Slapping a new title on this previously discredited research won’t change the facts—the American farmer is more than capable of producing an abundant amount of food, feed and fuel, and the air we breathe and our environment, as a whole, is better off for it.
“WRI’s criticism of biofuels is based on the limited assumption that the U.S. and the rest of the world must choose between a cleaner, healthier environment resulting from renewable transportation fuels and an adequate, affordable food supply. They ignore the fact that we are not only capable of providing both, but must do so if we hope to address hunger and the need for economic growth throughout the world, as both goals are reliant on increased agricultural and energy production that are sensitive to global environmental needs and priorities.
“Without the biofuels industry and its impact on the farm economy, the U.S. might be producing less, not more food, in order to control the expansion of surplus stocks and assistance payments to farmers. WRI fails to note that the U.S. has produced record corn crops for the past two years, and corn prices have fallen dramatically. They also fail to credit that U.S. ethanol production results in co-products such as distiller’s grains that displace the need for other livestock feed crops and reduce the net acreage used to produce ethanol to about 17.5 percent of total corn acreage.
“Argonne National Laboratory has consistently determined that corn ethanol reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to gasoline by an average of 34 percent. In addition to reducing GHG emissions, ethanol also reduces the need to add aromatics, many of which are known to cause severe health problems including cancer, to motor fuel to improve octane and performance.
“WRI is relying on the same analyses and falsehoods utilized by Big Oil and their allies that have already been proven to be incorrect. Instead of promoting a farm economy that produces both food and fuel, it is unfortunate that they have fallen victim to the rhetoric of industries that are only interested in market control and their own profitability, even if it means causing consumer price increases, environmental degradation and adverse health outcomes that impact the poorest among us.”
“Reliance on fossil fuels and the limited energy production from solar and wind energy will not meet our world’s growing demand for energy. Diversity in energy resources and a dramatic reduction in fossil fuel use is the best way to ensure we have the necessary energy resources while reducing the use of carbon intensive fuels that are a finite resource and are a leading cause of climate change. That is why we must embrace an ‘all of the above’ energy strategy and biofuels play a critical role in ensuring such a strategy succeeds.”
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About Growth Energy
Growth Energy represents the producers and supporters of ethanol who feed the world and fuel America in ways that achieve energy independence, improve economic well-being and create a healthier environment for all Americans now. For more information, please visit us at www.GrowthEnergy.org, follow us on Twitter @GrowthEnergy or connect with us on Facebook.