EPA Reports Ethanol Crops Displace Climate Friendly Ones

Environmentalism has always seemed very fad based. Kind of like the hottest iPhone app, whatever is being touted as the newest, cleanest way to "be green" the environmental movement latches onto and runs with without examining the full scope of utilization. Biofuels are an excellent example. The lower emissions are fantastic, but not very many people seem to pay attention to what it takes to go from the ground to the tailpipe.

A new study just released by the EPA examines this process and compares it to the current standard of oil refinement.

Here is the short version courtesy of the Associated Press:

EPA: ethanol crops displaces climate-friendly ones

By H. JOSEF HEBERT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency says that corn ethanol — as made today — has a worse impact on climate than gasoline when land use changes are considered.

But EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said Tuesday that future improvements in production technologies are expected to make ethanol and other biofuels more climate friendly than gasoline. The EPA, in a preliminary assessment of ethanol, said worldwide changes in land use must be considered when assessing ethanol's impact on climate change.

Some scientists say that by using more land to grow ethanol crops, there is an increase in greenhouse gases as vegetation that absorbs carbon is replaced.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama issued a directive to find ways to get automakers to make more cars that can run on ethanol and to make ethanol more widely available at fueling stations.

The full report can be found on the EPA website. Interesting stuff from a federal agency.

The most tell statement from the report is regarding the EPA examining the full lifecycle of greenhouse gas emissions. "We believe that our lifecycle analysis is based on the best available science, and recognize that in some aspects it represents a cutting edge approach to addressing lifecycle GHG emissions."