Getting Our Energy Policy Right

Mary Schaper
Posted February 5, 2015

The Truth Behind Biofuels Glitz

Denver Post Editorial: Yet another major environmental organization has concluded that biofuels, including ethanol, are a net detriment to the world — both in environmental and economic terms.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) "recommends against dedicating land to produce bioenergy. The lesson: do not grow food or grass crops for ethanol or diesel or cut down trees for electricity."

Why? The group, based in Washington, D.C., says converting plants into fuel is a terribly inefficient use of land, can never produce a major portion of the world's supplies, and puts pressure on cropland that is needed to feed the world's growing population, among other things.

After all, the organization notes in explaining the results of a new study, "People already use roughly three-quarters of the world's vegetated land for crops, livestock grazing and wood harvests." It would be an environmental disaster if that percentage were pushed up further as a result of misguided policies to spur biofuels production.

Read more: http://dpo.st/16lkjPt

More industry news:

• Broad Coalition Takes Aim at Renewable Fuel Mandate: http://bit.ly/1DIXzUW

• A Path to Drilling in the Atlantic: http://bit.ly/1yNJqSU

• No Bust Seen as Dakota Oil Firms Keep Staff Amid Price Drop: http://bloom.bg/1DxUZ3J

• Editorial: The Future in Marcus Hook is Shale: http://bit.ly/1vuqooS

On Keystone XL:

• Speaker Boehner Says State Department Stonewalling on Keystone: http://yhoo.it/18RXbtE

• Blog: Two Charts Demolish EPA’s Keystone XL Arguments: http://uscham.com/1EJP9Qz

• Final Approval of Keystone XL Pipeline Will Jump-Start Sputtering Economy: http://bit.ly/1DJXsIB