usda Archives - Smarter Fuel Future

Celebrate National Parks…Not Biofuels

On August 25, 2016, the National Parks Service (NPS) is celebrating its 100th birthday – an incredible milestone marking a century of stewardship in our parks. But as NPS prepares to blow out the candles, we can’t help but imagine what we’d wish for if we were in their boots…

Highway to the Dead Zone

Those who tout the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) as a “green” policy are onto something. The RFS is definitely green — unfortunately, it’s the kind of green that creates algal blooms that harm ecosystems and marine life.

16 million more acres is so large, it is almost unfathomable. But don’t worry – we’re here to put it into perspective for you.

Our recent analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture points to our worst fears: the ethanol mandate is a driving force in the radical transformation of the U.S. agricultural landscape in the years since the RFS was instituted.

Approximately 40 percent of American corn crops are blended in ethanol. For poultry and livestock farmers, this creates a serious problem: the market price of corn – the necessary staple in animals’ feed – experiences unpredictability due to changes in the crops supply and price due to the mandate.

Food Costs Are Eating American Family Budgets provide a powerful backdrop for the food-vs.-fuel debate.

With the government shutdown, the rest of the country is left to bear the consequences of continued inaction. Reform to the ethanol mandate or RFS, which appeared to be moving forward, is now stalled with the rest of the government.

The number of American feedlots leaving the business increased by 9,900 percent in the last year — a mass exodus prompted by the rising cost of feed.

Politico: Reform the ethanol mandate

Although many factors influence commodity prices, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief economist testified last month that the corn ethanol mandate accounted for more than a third of the hike in corn prices from 2006 to 2009.

Yesterday, the head of the ethanol lobby Bob Dinneen testified in front of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the Renewable Fuel Standard. Dineen admits that ethanol mandates were intended to raise the price of corn, costing consumers but lining corn growers' pockets.

Current global food trends point to increased difficulties in feeding the world. A new study reveals that there won’t be enough food to feed the world by 2050. The USDA estimates that 101 million people – or nearly one in three Americans – are currently receiving food assistance of some kind.

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representative’s Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on the RFS in its Energy and Power Subcommittee to gain clarity — from government officials — on how the RFS is impacting the environment, our nation’s fuel supply and consumers.

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