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CCGA vice-president Melcher blasts press reports on faulty greenhouse gas studyColorado Doug Melcher, Vice President of the Colorado Corn Growers Association and Colorado Corn Public Policy Chairman, was sharply critical of new studies released earlier this month concluding biofuels increased greenhouse gases. "I find it appalling reporters either didn't read, or failed to understand, the data in the study and reported the wrong conclusions," he said. This month, Science, published two studies that examined the greenhouse impact of land use changes from the growing demand of biofuels. Within hours national media picked up the story and ran headlines, "Study: Ethanol Worse For Climate Than Gasoline." According to nationally recognized fuel economist, Dr. David Morris, of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, "declarations that ethanol increases greenhouse gas emissions, a conclusion that has made headlines around the world, is not supported, and may be contradicted, by their own data." The studies fail to recognize the very low greenhouse gas emissions from advanced ethanol plants, plants that can reduce emissions by over 50 percent as compared to gasoline. Nor do the studies factor in the higher greenhouse gases that will be emitted when crude oil is extracted from unconventional sources like tar sands. The report notes that the vast majority of today's ethanol production comes from corn cultivated on land that has been in corn production for generations. "Since little new land has come into production, either directly or indirectly, the current use of ethanol clearly reduces greenhouse gas emissions," says Morris, who served six years on an advisory committee on biomass to the U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture. A controversial part of these studies examines the indirect impacts of growing energy crops. For example, if corn acreage displaces soybeans in the U.S., the study assumes wrongly that an equal amount of soybeans will have to be grown in the rest of the world to make up for that loss in animal feed. Feed is a byproduct of corn ethanol production and a high protein animal feed called distillers grains. Indeed, distillers grains produce more protein per acre of corn harvested than is produced from an acre of soybeans. Melcher added, "At a time when we struggle for energy independence it angers me that questionable studies and a gullible press report this oil proponent propaganda." The Colorado Corn Growers Association represents the 4,000 Colorado farmers who produce the food, fiber and fuel to power America. 3/17/08 Date: 3/12/08
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