Agricultural News
Growth Energy Responds to University of Minnesota Ethanol Study
Fri, 19 Dec 2014 12:09:54 CST
Following the recent report released by the University of Minnesota, "Life Cycle Air Quality Impacts Of Conventional And Alternative Light-Duty Transportation In the United States," which contains significant flaws in regards to their analysis of ethanol, Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, released the following statement:
"Clearly this study was published with an agenda and without regard to the facts. It is misleading, inaccurate and runs counter to a large body of expert research.
"This report also fails to account for the numerous environmental benefits ethanol provides. According to Argonne National Laboratory, ethanol reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by an average of 34 percent compared to gasoline, even when the highly controversial and disputed theory on Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) is factored into the modeling. However, the study by the University of Minnesota specifically excludes ILUC impacts, and Argonne has found that without ILUC included, ethanol reduces GHG emissions by 57 percent compared to gasoline.
"In fact, in 2013, the 13.2 billion gallons of ethanol blended into gasoline in the United States helped reduce GHG emissions by approximately 38 million metric tons, which is the equivalent of removing roughly 8 million automobiles from the road.
"In addition, another critical component that was unsurprisingly left out of the University of Minnesota's report is that ethanol, with its high octane content, reduces the need to add toxic aromatics to gasoline to bolster octane and engine performance such as benzene and 1-3 butadiene that are known carcinogens. Additionally, ethanol plays a major role in reducing ultra-fine particulates in exhaust emissions that are linked to a large number of adverse health outcomes."
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