The anti-ethanol column from Merrill Matthews contained exactly what you would expect from a think tank sponsored by oil companies citing a Michigan study sponsored by oil companies.
Despite his claims to the contrary, biofuels have made a major contribution to U.S. energy security. In fact, they meet about ten percent of America’s motor fuel needs.
This notion that fracking has created a “glut” of U.S. energy is just wrong. American oil production fell last year. Consumption of motor fuel hit a new record. And crude oil imports climbed in 2016, with the largest increases coming from Iraq and Nigeria, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
American oil imports are much lower than they were a decade ago, thanks in part to the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), but that doesn’t mean we can’t do more to protect consumers from price manipulation by Russia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Ethanol is better for the environment too, despite the myths circulated by fossil fuel advocates. The latest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research proved once again that homegrown ethanol reduces carbon emissions by 43 percent, largely because farmers are making more efficient use of existing cropland – not plowing up new land to grow corn.
The simple truth is that homegrown biofuels play a vital role in America’s energy security. Ethanol protects consumers at the pump and increases octane for better engine performance. The biofuel industry also supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across the heartland, and policymakers would be wise to listen to those voters before accepting oil industry myths at face value.
~Chris Bliley, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Growth Energy, representing supporters and producers of ethanol
(Office Contact: Chris Bliley, 202.545.4023, cbliley@growthenergy.org, 701 8th St NW Suite 450, Washington DC 20001)
