The Associated Press has come out with a few stories and data for infographics that you may have seen in your local newspaper or online in the past few days. The stories questions whether or not ethanol production in the U.S. and its effects on agricultural production of corn are having negative consequences in other environmental areas.
What follows is the official reaction from the National Farmers Union. If you’d like to see what AP produced in its reporting for yourself, check out this PDF file I’ve put together of what stories I could capture online. The Associated Press is essentially a member-based news organization – its members are the media outlets which subscribe to its stories – and in some cases your local paper or favorite online source may not have chosen to run any or all of these stories. (They may also not be a member of the AP)
PDF File of the AP Ethanol Stories November 2013
NFU Reaction:
WASHINGTON (Nov. 12, 2013) – National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement in response to a recent story by the Associated Press that blames biofuels for causing environmental harm:
“The story blames biofuels for the reduced acres in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). What it neglects to mention is that Congress reduced CRP by roughly seven million acres in the 2008 Farm Bill and is poised to be reduced by seven to eight million acres in the next farm bill.
“In addition, climate change and new seed varieties are mostly responsible for the expansion of corn production, with warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons making it possible to plant corn in places like North Dakota and Canada.
“American-produced biofuels are a clear and environmentally-friendly alternative to oil. Today’s ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30 percent compared to gasoline.
“NFU will continue stand up for the Renewable Fuel Standard that is cleaning up the environment, diversifying fuel sources and supporting rural economies.”
Leave a Reply