Crying Wolf in the Corn Field
EWG Midwest VP Craig Cox penned an op-ed in the morning's Minneapolis Star Tribune on Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota's threats to hold climate legislation hostage.
The tirade that House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota recently delivered accusing the Environmental Protection Agency of sinking the corn-ethanol industry has many of us in the environmental community scratching our heads. Peterson accused federal officials of being "in bed with the oil companies" because their science-based analysis found that corn ethanol doesn't reduce greenhouse-gas emissions as much as the industry claims.On Friday, Peterson's anger turned to threats in comments to Agriculture.com that included: "... If they don't fix this, I'm going to bring this climate bill down," a reference to legislation he introduced the day before to strip the science-based analysis of biofuels from the Renewable Fuel Standard. Apparently, the chairman intends to hold critical climate-change legislation hostage unless corn ethanol receives yet another free pass.
Comments
I'm in the Algae business with not dog in this fight. But as a scientist I have to disagree strongly with the characterization of "science based analysis" with regard to GHG emissions. The complaint many in the biofuels (not just corn ethanol or big business but all those who've tried to do the right thing for the last 10 years)have a problem with is the radical "opinion" on "indirect effects" (propped up and funded by the oil industry). When an indirect "wild assed guess" which is unvetted and highly controversial, accounts for over 50% of some feedstocks "supposed greenhouse gas emissions" and is passed off as pure science, "Houston, we have a problem". Of all the interest groups, the environmental community should be picking up the charge to put oil on a level playing field (what are tar sands direct GHG's nevermind their indirect) Any fuel that can show the same total GHG as oil should replace it if it also has other huge indirect or direct benefits like US jobs, national security and reduced toxics. This is deja vu 1974 all over again.
Posted by: Curt Felix | May 22, 2009 10:42 AM