EPA ruling on ethanol shows farmers must continue to be good land stewards |
Posted by ocgadmin on Thursday, February 04 @ 15:30:29 CST
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DELAWARE, Ohio – A recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ruling on corn ethanol was welcomed by the ethanol industry and farmers as the agency confirmed that corn ethanol is superior to gasoline when it comes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Ohio Corn Growers Association (OCGA) applauds the EPA recognizes that corn ethanol provides a distinct advantage over conventional gasoline when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, with a reduction of more than 21 percent in some cases. But a revised federal Renewable Fuels Standard requires the use of advanced biofuels, and current modeling concepts used by the EPA today’s corn ethanol might not meet future standards. “The EPA is using the worst science out there but still coming to good conclusions about traditional ethanol. We continue to be disappointed that EPA choses to use the flawed theory of international indirect land use change in their calculations,” said OCGA Executive Director Dwayne Siekman. “The theory assumes that growing more corn means planting corn on a proportionately greater amount of acreage and will impact other crops or natural resources on a global basis. Today’s yield trends and factual land use data show this to be false.” OCGA is encouraging farmers to reamin proactive in utilizing practices that reduce GHG emissions and not rely on the government to create more markets, such as ethanol.“The entrepreneurial spirit of farmers has always been there and the unpredictability of government decisions should be a wake up call to farmers to take ownership of the issue rather than rely on others,” Siekman said. Modern farming reduces carbon in the air by 21 percent and is only responsible for 7 percent of the world’s GHG emissions. Farmers are capable of sequestering carbon by practicing no-till (which leaves the earth unplowed) and continue using the latest technology that reduces the amount of carbon, methane and nitrous oxide in the environment. Modern seed technology allows for farmers to use fewer pesticides and grow more corn on less land, thereby cutting down emissions and reducing their cost, in turn cutting the cost to consumers. “Corn growers have always known that corn ethanol is a clean-burning fuel,” Siekman said. "Practices that would reduce carbon, methane and nitrous oxide must be adopted by corn farmers regardless of EPA's decision on whether indirect land use change calculations are included or not to have any consideration of being an advanced biofuel." Meanwhile, OCGA and ethanol groups will continue to work closely with all interested parties in promoting the importance of corn ethanol as a market for its members and an important part of our nation’s domestic energy sector.
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