Corn Is Not the Answer
Growing corn to fuel our vehicles is not sustainable in ensuring the health of our water and wildlife.
Problem: Renewable Fuel Standard
Congress created the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) with the intent to spur production of biofuels as an alternative to non-renewable fossil fuels. But the RFS has been a failure and a disaster for the environment. The RFS mandates that gasoline is mixed with ethanol, derived from corn. This federal mandate has incentivized the production of corn on millions of acres across the Midwest, including on ecologically valuable grasslands and wetlands. Corn production is intensive, stripping soil of its nutrients, requiring the use of chemicals that poison water and wildlife, and using much valuable water. We should not be subsidizing harmful corn production for a fuel that still produces significant air pollution and is not particularly fuel-efficient.
Solution: Repeal the Mandate
Federal subsidies of ethanol, including the mandate that gasoline be blended with ethanol, should end. And we should reject any attempts to increase the amount blended into gasoline at the pump. Increasing ethanol blends would only lead to more carbon emissions, more toxic algae blooms, and higher water and food bills. Key actions that we are working on include:
- Support reforms to federal biofuels policies to eliminate reliance on annual crops like corn and soy