Selfa thought that had these communities been aware of ethanol production's impact on the local water supply, support for the plants may not have been as strong.

"I think people in general were not that well-informed," Selfa said, concluding that "biofuels are not an overwhelming win-win for rural communities."

Reprinted from Climatewire with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. www.eenews.net, 202-628-6500

9 Comments

1. 1. jtdwyer 12:39 PM 1/28/13

   Based on projected population growth (the U.S. piopulation is expected to grow from ~313K to >420K by 2050; world population from >7 to >9 billion) and potential potable water usage characteristics, eventually potable water is likely to become more expensive than liquid fuel...

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2. 2. M Tucker 01:15 PM 1/28/13

   People in general are not that well informed about their water supplies because they choose to not be informed. They love the economic aspects of corn ethanol but they do not want to hear how it will consume vast amounts of fresh water or how it will actually increase CO2 emissions or how it will impact food prices. I’m still waiting to hear how this is sustainable…What, they didn’t get into that either when those who are supposedly in charge decided to go ahead with the corn ethanol debacle? If it wasn’t so f’ing tragic I would be tempted to say you reap what you sow.

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3. 3. mipakeli 03:28 PM 1/28/13

   This whole thing needs to go away completely as it waste more energy than it produces and especially wasteful of water resources. The person who suggested and implemented EToH for cars was a complete mo$on.
   
   The better approach is gattling geothermal wells and solar energy storing car battery power with standardized car batteries leased.
   
   History will show that it was a terrible decision to use our food supply to power cars.

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4. 4. Carlyle 08:18 AM 1/29/13

   November 3, 2006
   http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=biofuels-discovery-promis
   Biofuels Discovery Promises to End Dependence on Natural Gas
   The agricultural lobby?
   
   Biofuel History. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/alternative-fuels/biodiesel2.htm
   It was in the 1970s and 1980s that the idea of using biofuels was revisited in the United States. One of the most important events occurred in 1970 with the passage of the Clean Air Act by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This allowed the EPA to more closely regulate emissions standards for pollutants like sulfur dioxides, carbon monoxide, ozone and nitrogen oxides (NOx). This set the stage for developing cleaner-burning fuels. This also set standards for fuel additives.
   
   The agricultural lobby. more like blame shifting.

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5. 5. Jürgen Hubert in reply to Carlyle 09:27 AM 1/29/13

   Biofuels in general might have a valid place. _Corn_-based biofuels are a waste of food. If you want to make biofuels, make them from actual agricultural waste products.

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6. 6. Caped_Crusader 10:48 AM 1/29/13

   So what is the trade-off here?

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7. 7. Carlyle 03:56 PM 1/30/13

   What a disgrace you are Elizabeth Harball. Once again my posts have been deleted. Why? Not because of offensive comment but because I proved a point about green culpability & to protect one of your favoured posters from an obviously misleading statement, which you have also deleted. I hope you are proud of a further green dishonesty.
   Jürgen Hubert how do you feel? A Green endangered species that must be protected.
   

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8. 8. jerryd 10:25 PM 1/30/13

   
   Why is this article not called 'Rising use of corn to produce cow fat causing water problems?' Most corn, 70%?, goes for making cows fat and sick, not ethanol.
   
   In fact most of the corn left, 80%, after ethanol is made, is used as cattle feed so not much change really.

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9. 9. MRC06405 06:59 AM 2/5/13

   Was there ever a dumber policy than subsidizing ethanol from corn?
   
   Maybe if they moved the first primary to a state that grew less corn, we could end this madness.

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