New Study Finds Corn Ethanol's Environmental Impact Worse Than Gasoline

Another study over homegrown fuel generated a new round of debate and blowback over the research.

In response, ethanol trade groups looked to expand blending levels moving forward and see their efforts paramount to getting to net zero emissions.

Josh Buettner has our story.

This week, a bombshell environmental study landed a haymaker to the Corn Belt.  Contrary to USDA-commissioned research released in 2019, the new, separate report - published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - found the carbon intensity of standard corn ethanol produced under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard between 2008 and 2016 at least 24 percent higher than regular gasoline

Dr. Tyler Lark/Scientist – University of Wisconsin-Madison:  “At the outset of this policy, a lot of folks were suggesting it sort of had three main goals of increasing energy independence, stimulating rural economies, and providing an environmentally-friendly fuel alternative to gasoline.  I think in hindsight, it probably did two of those things really well, but now we are seeing that corn ethanol is just not turning out to be the climate-friendly fuel that a lot of folks had hoped.”

University of Wisconsin Scientist Dr. Tyler Lark is lead author of the study which he says builds upon shared USDA data with aggregate land use changes, increased manufacture and implementation of farm inputs, and subsequent water quality degradation to drive his conclusions.

The ethanol lobby tore into the findings, calling it “completely fictional and erroneous”, alleging data was “cherry-picked”, and a rerun of previously debunked work - blasting the track record of one the study’s funders, the National Wildlife Federation, for, quote - ‘absolute hostility’ - toward modern agriculture and farm-based products.

Sen Chuck Grassley/R – Iowa: “Well, it goes against everything we’ve been believing about biofuels since the late ‘70’s.”

Stretching back decades, ethanol production got a shot in the arm with the RFS’ enactment under the Bush Administration, post 9/11, by requiring domestic oil refiners blend a percentage of biofuel into the nation’s gasoline supply annually.

Sen Chuck Grassley/R – Iowa: “2005, 6 and 7, there was close working relationship there.  Now, since 2008, it’s been back to big oil vs. ethanol.”

The mandate incentivized farm-state build-out, drove up corn prices, and spurred an almost 9 percent spike in cultivation, expanding nearly 7 million acres into corn production. 

Sen. Joni Ernst/R – Iowa: “The folks across the Midwest – our farmers, our producers, responded to the call to Congress.  And they developed systems that produce clean, reliable energy sources.”

Proponents say the program has eroded through waivers, small refinery exemptions and compliance deadline extensions under the past three administrations, but some view President Biden’s broader efforts to decarbonize the economy as a way to get the RFS back on track.

Emily Skor/CEO – Growth Energy:  “Let me be clear.  There is no path toward net zero emissions by 2050 without biofuels.”

At a Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing about the future of the RFS mid-week, ethanol advocates may have unearthed common ground with authors of the controversial new report, in that unleashing the power of next-generation biofuels could be a more efficient on-ramp for climate goals.

Emily Skor/CEO – Growth Energy:  “There are also technologies languishing in EPA.  There’s more innovation that we can do to bring low-cost, low-carbon fuels to the table, but we do need some certainty and some predictability, and for the regulations to keep up with the marketplace and the innovation.”

Under the RFS, Congress has set blending requirements through 2022.  Without further action, the Environmental Protection Agency, which administers federal biofuel policy, will gain authority to impose reforms previously assigned to the legislative branch.  EPA plans to propose 2023 requirements in May.

For Market to Market, I’m Josh Buettner.  Twitter: @mtmjosh