The Wall Street Journal writes “Everyone Hates Ethanol.” Click on the link to add your comments on their blog.
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Busting the Myths
Corn, and more specifically ethanol, has garnered national media coverage in the previous months. Much of this attention has been focused on several negative myths about the industries. In response to the negative press being circulated regarding the "myths of ethanol and corn," this website has been created to arm you with the facts and statistics to spread the positive word about corn and ethanol. Feel free to share and utilize this information to fight back.
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Corn Fights Back
The Michigan Corn Office has launched a radio campaign to help fight back and spread positive information regarding corn and ethanol, and the benefits both bring to Michigan. The radio spots listed below have all been airing on WJR in Detroit and WJIM in Lansing since the beginning of July. Please take a moment to listen to the one-minute spots.
- Corn is not the only factor in food prices
- Gas prices are rising more than food prices
- Ethanol is saving consumers money at the pump
- Ethanol is not taking corn away from the livestock industry
- Corn farmers are growing more corn, without increasing acreage or hurting the environment
- How much corn really is in milk, beef, and cereal
- Ethanol production is creating jobs
- Ethanol is displacing foreign oil and reducing imports
- It doesn't take much water to produce ethanol
- Where does Michigan's corn actually go
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Myth: Corn-based ethanol production creates a corn shortage.
FACT: Corn farmers can and do grow more than enough corn to supply the typical food and feed markets, as well as the ethanol market. According to the 2008 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) annual summary, corn farmers produced the second largest corn crop in U.S. history, totaling 12.1 billion bushels. Of that crop, 1.8 billion bushels is leftover, without a market and must be carried over to the 2009 corn supply. Even with the second largest crop in history, ethanol accounted for only 30 percent of the demand for corn. Plus, with ethanol production, you also get a co-product called dried distillers grains (DDGs), which is a high-protein livestock feed. Approximately one-third of the corn used to make ethanol is returned as DDGs to the feed market.
Myth: It takes more water to produce a gallon of ethanol than it does to produce a gallon of gasoline.
FACT: It takes only 2.7 gallons of water to produce one gallon of ethanol, significantly less than the 92.5 gallons of water is takes to produce a gallon of gasoline.
To put ethanol production into perspective, it takes:
- 1,851 gallons of water to refine a barrel of crude oil.
- 150 gallons of water to make one Sunday newspaper.
- 24 gallons of water to make one pound of plastic.
*according to the University of Florida Extension Office*
Myth: Ethanol is worse for the environment than petroleum.
FACT: According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, ethanol is the only fuel additive capable of reducing greenhouse gases. Ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by around 30 percent. Ethanol also helps reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil by displacing 1.2 barrels of oil for every barrel of ethanol produced. In 2008, ethanol helped reduce the amount of renewable oil imported by 321 million barrels and removed the equivalent of 2.1 million cars from America’s roads. Another study by the University of Nebraska finds ethanol decreases greenhouse gases 48-59 percent over gasoline.
Myth: It takes more energy to produce ethanol than it actually creates.
FACT: There have been numerous studies that provide conclusive facts that ethanol creates more energy than gasoline. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) proved that ethanol yields up to 67 percent more energy than it takes to produce. In other words, for every 100 BTUs of energy used to make ethanol, 167 BTUs of energy are created, in an easily transportable liquid fuel. Several negative energy balance studies have used antiquated crop and ethanol production numbers.
Target Articles of the Week
The Wall Street Journal writes “Everyone Hates Ethanol.” Click on the link to add your comments on their blog.
QUOTES
“The high price of gasoline is going to spur more investment in ethanol as an alternative to gasoline, and the truth of the matter is that it’s in our national interest that our farmers grow energy as opposed to us purchasing energy from parts of the world that are unstable or don’t like us.” – Former President George Bush
“Ethanol is America's best renewable fuel because it can help create green-collar jobs, boost our domestic economy, and improve our environment right now… By expanding our use of ethanol today, we can make immediate progress in three vital areas: greater energy independence, a stronger American economy and a cleaner environment. ” – General Wesley Clark, Co-Chairman of Growth Energy
“…Ethanol demand for corn is providing a much-needed value added market for farmers without having the market-distorting impacts many in the food processing and factory livestock production industries have claimed.” – Bob Dinneen, President of RFA
“It’s a tremendous story of economic resurgence,” Rick Tolman, CEO of NCGA says. “Nationally, we have about 240,000 jobs supported by the ethanol industry. The most compelling stories are the local rural ones, of communities that can now build schools and fire stations because of increased tax receipts. It’s an exciting story.”
Francisco Blanch, a commodities expert for Merrill Lynch, said biofuels like ethanol lower gas prices by at least 15 percent on a nationwide basis.
STUDIES
Ethanol Across America
University of Nebraska Energy Balance
For links to additional sources of information, click here.
