To meet the 2022 mandate of 35 billion gallons of biofuels using corn-based ethanol, crop land dedicated to corn will have to increase from 88 million acres to 233 million acres.
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Even Al Gore now admits that corn-based ethanol produces more carbon dioxide than it saves.
Due to large government subsidies, the growth of corn-based ethanol has been nothing short of meteoric.
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Of this amount, 21 billion gallons must come from biofuels other than corn-based ethanol.
He cited the U.S. subsidies for corn-based ethanol and tariffs on sugar cane-based ethanol from Brazil.
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From 2000 to 2010, U.S. corn-based ethanol production increased from 1.6 to 13.2 billion gallons per year.
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We massively subsidize corn-based ethanol, even though sugar-based ethanol appears to be far more efficient and less costly.
The energy needed to produce a gallon of corn-based ethanol can exceed the energy generated by the ethanol itself.
Further, corn-based bio-fuels used in transportation consume much greater amounts of water than does the drilling for traditional oil.
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Clearly corn-based ethanol is not a sustainable solution for the U.S. energy needs.
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As a bonus, switchgrass ethanol emits significantly fewer greenhouse gases than corn-based ethanol.
The U.S. leads biofuel innovation likely due to the U.S. abundance of agricultural resources and a history of subsidizing corn-based ethanol.
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For example, how many gallons of water and fossil fuel does it take to produce and transport one gallon of corn-based ethanol?
These promises are nebulous, unclear on what those new sources are, other than the thoroughly discredited without massive government subsidies corn-based ethanol.
Subsidised corn-based ethanol is therefore a nifty way of meeting America's mandatory fuel-economy requirements without having to invest billions in new technology.
And investors and policy wonks alike are trumpeting the corn-based fuel as the solution to climate change and America's dependence on Mideast oil.
Ostensibly to reduce carbon emissions, governments in both places have introduced policies to encourage biofuels (corn-based ethanol in America and biodiesel in Europe).
In particular, state-level ethanol-production incentives and bans on certain gases by California and other states have spurred demand for more environmentally-friendly corn-based fuels.
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This massive market reallocation in such a short time has led to drastic price increases in all corn-based goods, from cereals to ethanol itself.
Given all the problems Obama will be facing, don't expect him to do too much to cut back on the massive subsidies for corn-based ethanol.
The menu changes seasonally, but is always centred around corn, such as handmade corn tamales, corn tortillas and a corn-based drink called atole, along with plenty of fresh vegetables.
Dubbed "the Model T for the 21st century, " the funky-looking utility vehicle boasts biodegradable materials--from the corn-based tires and roof to the seats stuffed with soy-based foam.
Anointed by the U.S. government and in receipt of political support from both sides of the political spectrum, corn-based ethanol has emerged as the biofuel of choice.
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Massive subsidies for corn-based ethanol, which means higher food prices.
Made from corn stalks, switchgrass and other plant waste, it has the advantage of not competing with the food supply and also boasts a superior energy balance than corn-based ethanol.
Right now cellulosic ethanol is potentially eight times more energy-efficient than corn-based ethanol, because you eliminate the middle step of converting it into sugar before you convert it into ethanol.
While he admits that the worsening Midwest drought will cause a sharp hike in crop prices, he maintains there is yet no need to seek a reduction in corn-based ethanol production.
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David Pimentel of Cornell and Tad W. Patzek of Berkeley reported, just in time for Congress to enshrine this atrocity in the energy bill, that corn-based ethanol consumes more energy than it yields.
Corn-based E85 is promoted as cheaper and cleaner burning, but many motorists wanting to live green and go yellow, as the GM slogan says, have a hard time finding places to fill up.
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