Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is a long-time advocate for renewable fuels. Last week he convened a meeting among several senators from biofuels-producing states and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, President-elect Trump’s nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency, to convey the importance of biofuels to job creation, energy security, the environment and meeting the country’s significant energy needs. He has been disappointed by the lack of strong support in implementing the congressionally mandated Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) from the Obama Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency. Grassley made the following comment on a report today from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that finds corn-based ethanol significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared with gasoline.
“Over the years, I’ve worked tirelessly to debunk the many myths about corn ethanol. One such myth is that conventional ethanol is no cleaner that gasoline. This report completely and definitively settles the debate regarding the positive environmental benefits of conventional corn ethanol.
“It gives a strong scientific basis to the fact that corn-based ethanol compares extremely favorably to gasoline in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the trend will continue. The report shows there’s really no contest. Ethanol beats gasoline on lower greenhouse gas emissions by a mile. The positive greenhouse gas profile is a result of accurate accounting of farm conservation and efficiencies, and advances in ethanol production efficiencies and technologies.
“Farmers are always working to be good stewards of their land while increasing crop yields, so continuously improved practices are a given. The findings underscore the need to continue promoting ethanol and other biofuels to help meet the country’s energy needs. I appreciate the data-driven approach and the initiative of the USDA to produce this valuable report.”
