Comments on: New corn ethanol study: No land-use impact doesn’t mean no impact http://www.theredwhiteandgreen.com/2009/03/02/new-corn-ethanol-study-no-land-use-impact-doesnt-mean-no-impact/ Caring about the environment is patriotic. Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:46:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Mike http://www.theredwhiteandgreen.com/2009/03/02/new-corn-ethanol-study-no-land-use-impact-doesnt-mean-no-impact/comment-page-1/#comment-14 Mike Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:58:16 +0000 http://theredwhiteandgreen.com/?p=112#comment-14 Actually, genetically modified corn reduces the use of pesticides. And the amount of fertilizers used per bushel of corn produced has decreased over the years as growers get more efficient. The GM corn you are referring to in this article (and link) is actually a new variety that converts more fully to ethanol - increasing the ethanol output per bushel. Many believe it should not be planted until it is approved for food use - and that is likely what will happen. Discussion over the dead zone is interesting - as the amount of fertilizer runoff from farm fields has dropped significantly as farmers have switched to no-till practices. Yet the dead zone remains (at varying sizes depending on the year). Perhaps all those nice green lawns and golf courses, runoff from parking lots and streets, etc. have something to do with it. Cellulosic ethanol will be great, but we need to get there first. And we need a system in place to make it work. Corn-based ethanol gets us that system and gets us there. For a good study on ethanol (the U of MN study has been demonstrated to be of bad science), check out the report linked to from this post: http://nebraskacorn.blogspot.com/2009/01/university-report-slams-corn-ethanol.html Actually, genetically modified corn reduces the use of pesticides. And the amount of fertilizers used per bushel of corn produced has decreased over the years as growers get more efficient.

The GM corn you are referring to in this article (and link) is actually a new variety that converts more fully to ethanol – increasing the ethanol output per bushel. Many believe it should not be planted until it is approved for food use – and that is likely what will happen.

Discussion over the dead zone is interesting – as the amount of fertilizer runoff from farm fields has dropped significantly as farmers have switched to no-till practices. Yet the dead zone remains (at varying sizes depending on the year). Perhaps all those nice green lawns and golf courses, runoff from parking lots and streets, etc. have something to do with it.

Cellulosic ethanol will be great, but we need to get there first. And we need a system in place to make it work. Corn-based ethanol gets us that system and gets us there.

For a good study on ethanol (the U of MN study has been demonstrated to be of bad science), check out the report linked to from this post: http://nebraskacorn.blogspot.com/2009/01/university-report-slams-corn-ethanol.html

]]> By: stopethanol http://www.theredwhiteandgreen.com/2009/03/02/new-corn-ethanol-study-no-land-use-impact-doesnt-mean-no-impact/comment-page-1/#comment-13 stopethanol Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:49:38 +0000 http://theredwhiteandgreen.com/?p=112#comment-13 You gotta love the optimism. Cellulosic ethanol has been going to save the environment "in five years" for the last twenty years. There is supposed to be 600 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol this year in the EPA quota demanded by EISA 2007 and it isn't going to happen. EISA 2007 is causing huge unintended consequences because it is an E85 corporate welfare bill and Flex-Fuel cars are DOA now. Taking all of our gasoline E10 is having economic consequences in the marine and aviation industry and causing property damage to antique and classic cars and motorcycles, boats, all manner of small engines used in recreation vehicles and public safety applications like generators, pumps and tools. If the congress doesn't wake up and modify EISA 2007 by banning the blending of ethanol in premium unleaded gasoline so the rest of us can survive, the lawsuits will mushroom and the public backlash will only increase. You gotta love the optimism. Cellulosic ethanol has been going to save the environment “in five years” for the last twenty years. There is supposed to be 600 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol this year in the EPA quota demanded by EISA 2007 and it isn’t going to happen. EISA 2007 is causing huge unintended consequences because it is an E85 corporate welfare bill and Flex-Fuel cars are DOA now. Taking all of our gasoline E10 is having economic consequences in the marine and aviation industry and causing property damage to antique and classic cars and motorcycles, boats, all manner of small engines used in recreation vehicles and public safety applications like generators, pumps and tools. If the congress doesn’t wake up and modify EISA 2007 by banning the blending of ethanol in premium unleaded gasoline so the rest of us can survive, the lawsuits will mushroom and the public backlash will only increase.

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