The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is about to approve 15% ethanol blends in motor fuels (most gas today has 10%).
Economic implications?
Good for the environment? Bad? It depends?
Read the story at:
Bloomberg
The Wall Street Journal
Reuters
Here's a story from the New York Times in 2008 that addresses both the econ and the environmental effects of biofuels (thanks to Gina at env-econ for the link). Gotta love it when a basic understanding of economics helps you see unintended consequences.
Aside: There's only one gas station here in Wilmington where you can buy non-ethanol gasoline... does anyone know where it is?
For the most part, I'd say using/allowing more ethanol in gasoline production makes poor environmental and economic sense. Why create greater negative externalities? Why use a fuel that is so inefficient? FYI - Corn ethanol requires 29% more fossil energy than the ethanol fuel produced. (Switchgrass ethanol requires 50% more and Wood biomass ethanol requires 57% more)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.springerlink.com/content/r1552355771656v0/
Here is the link to the actual article in Science that the NYT piece refers to...
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/files/land_clearing_and_the_biofuel_carbon_debt.pdf
Correction...article in Nature (not Science)
ReplyDeleteI don't know which gas station it is, but my guess is that it's the one out on Piner/Grissom/Masonboro loop as you go east from Monkey Junction...simply because it looks like the oldest gas station in town.
ReplyDeleteRyan H