Ethanol Production Can Be Harmful to the Environment

As gas prices continue to rise, more and more Americans are turning to ethanol, both for its economic benefits as well as its perceived environmental impact, but ethanol may not be as "green" as some believe. According to a new report released today Environment Defense, ethanol can be just as hazardous to the environment as gasoline if they are not carefully produced.

At issue is the number of ethanol plants planned along the Ogallala Aquifer, one of the world's largest aquifers and an important water source for Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. The Ogallala Aquifer stretches across the region known as the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. According to Martha Roberts, co-author of the report and a fellow at Environmental Defense, there are nine new ethanol plants planned along endangered parts of the aquifer. "The Ogallala Aquifer is a microcosm of the challenges we'll face in America as we develop renewable fuels," she said, noting that the areas are vulnerable to erosion.

According to the report, "Potential Impacts of Biofuels Expansion on Natural Resources: A Case Study of the Ogallala Aquifer Region," the aquifer has been overpumped, causing a dramatic water table drop. New ethanol plants would require as much as 2.6 billion gallons of water to process the corn and produce the fuel, with another 120 billion gallons needed for corn irrigation. The report also claims that increased corn production on currently idle land could cause Dust Bowl-style conditions.

"Biofuels are one of our best potential weapons to fight climate change, but not all biofuels are created equal," said co-author, Dr. Timothy Male, senior scientist for Environmental Defense. "Expanding ethanol without protecting our 70 years of progress in conserving soil, water, and rare grassland habitat would be the environmental equivalent of robbing Peter to pay Paul."

The report suggests that preserving land along the aquifer for grasslands could help preserve the aquifer and fight erosion. Environment Defense supports the Conservation Reserve Program, which pays farmers and ranchers to retire farm land to grass cover, and the Grasslands Reserve Program, which offers payments to farmers to protect, restore or enhance grasslands. The programs are part of the Farm Bill, which is due to be reauthorized by Congress this year.

Twenty five million acres of grassland has been converted to cropland since 1982, partly encouraged by farm subsidies, according to the Government Accountability Office. "This report provides even more proof that America needs a conservation- focused Farm Bill and a 'sodsaver' policy that eliminates government subsidies that perversely reward converting grasslands to cropland," said Male.
Source: Environmnent Defense Press Release