Biofuels Are Damaging the Environment

[Eddie_T]

For the rest of the article see: http://www.fcpp.org/publication.php/4190?print=yes

The Green Plague
How Biofuels Are Damaging the Environment

Executive Summary

The production and use of biofuel produces more greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels do when factoring in direct and indirect land-use change and nitrous oxide emissions from the production process.

The agriculture intensification necessary to maintain corn-ethanol feedstock will contaminate water systems with excess nutrients from fertilizer run-off. These nutrients, through a process called eutrophication, create hypoxic zones that are devoid of oxygen such as in the Gulf of Mexico and increasingly in Lake Winnipeg. These zones destroy marine ecosystems and harm local anglers.

Biofuel production is far more water inefficient than fossil fuel is. The irrigation required to grow feedstock on more-marginal land as production expands will put increasing strain on freshwater stocks—a commodity of increasing demand and scarcity.

[MRB]

Corn is the wrong biomass to make ethanol from.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...anol-than-corn

[Eddie_T]

EP15 is apparently on its way despite arguments against it. With political traffic in both directions, and some legal action in the works it would seem that some lively debate would be required before foisting this mixture upon us. However, much like our old friend AGW, it seems that meaningful debate will be avoided. The government isn't smart enough to make rational decisions and politicians follow their own money trails. My vehicles are a 96 Prism and an 85 Cherokee so I watch for stations that say no ethanol. I suspect they will disappear or be called un-patriotic by the Obama.

[bisjoe]

Just as the process of making batteries for hybrids does more damage than burning gas
in conventional engines.

Environmentalists Should be protesting the hybrids and electrics, but don't seem to pay attention to the science.