Research

NEW ANTI-ETHANOL STUDIES REACH WRONG CONCLUSION ON GREENHOUSE GASES

Written by Administrator

Minneapolis, Minn. (February 15, 2008) – A new policy brief from the Minneapolis based Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) criticizes the authors of two recent studies published in Science for advancing a conclusion not supported by their own studies.

“The studies usefully estimate how much carbon will be released when new land is brought into crop production,” says David Morris, ILSR’s Vice President and author of Ethanol and Land Use Changes. “But the authors’ declarations that ethanol increases greenhouse gas emissions, a conclusion that has made headlines around the world, is not supported, and may be contradicted, by their own data.”

The report notes that the vast majority of today’s ethanol production comes from corn cultivated on land that has been in corn production for generations. “Since little new land has come into production, either directly or indirectly, the current use of ethanol clearly reduces greenhouse gas emissions,” says Morris, who served six years on an Advisory Committee on biomass to the U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture.

The studies fail to recognize the very low greenhouse gas emissions from advanced ethanol plants, plants that can reduce emissions by over 50 percent as compared to gasoline. Nor do the studies factor in the higher greenhouse gases that will be emitted when crude oil is extracted from unconventional sources like tar sands.

A controversial part of these studies examines the indirect impacts of growing energy crops. For example, if corn acreage displaces soybeans in the U.S., the authors assume that an equal amount of soybeans will have to be grown in the rest of the world to make up for that loss in animal feed. But a byproduct of corn ethanol production is a high protein animal feed called distiller’s grains. Indeed, distiller’s grains produce more protein per acre of corn harvested than is produced from an acre of soybeans.

The most contentious part of the studies may be the conclusion that when countries import less food and feed from the U.S., growing more themselves, that greenhouse gases increase. “The conclusion is not only counterintuitive, but will undoubtedly stir up considerable opposition by farmers and advocates of local food around the world,” says Morris, who also has served as an advisor to the energy administrations of Presidents Ford, Carter, Clinton and George W. Bush.

(Source: ILSR’s full report, Ethanol and Land Use Changes, is available at http://www.newrules.org/de/Ethanol-and-Land-Use.pdf.)

“Let Them Eat Grass” is the hypocritical call from our Land Grant University.”

Written by Jonathan Eisenthal

(Posted February 21, 2008) The recent University of Minnesota land use study that examines raising crops for biofuels would lead a reasonable person to believe that all land must be let to revert to biomass in order to reduce greenhouse gases.

“When David Tilman criticizes other countries for the decision to put more acres under cultivation, to raise more of their own food and energy locally, he is very arrogantly saying ‘Let Them Eat Grass,’” observed Gerald Tumbleson, a farmer from southern Minnesota, and a past president of both Minnesota and National Corn Growers Association. “Perhaps he wants them to bask in the glow of knowing they are benefiting world greenhouse gas levels while they wonder if their children will have enough to eat tonight?”

Professor Tilman posits that the growing biofuels industry will translate into increased land clearing both in the United States and abroad, and the release of carbon into the atmosphere from that activity is worse than simply burning petroleum. No massive land clearing has taken place in the United States to date, despite the massive growth of renewable energy production.

Tilman’s highly speculative findings are also highly selective, choosing to leave out of the equation such questions as how much fossil energy is used to transport food from the developed world to the developing world, and what affect does our food giveaways have on the development of sustainable land use policies in these countries.

“Countries that feed themselves develop much more stable policies regarding ownership and use of land,” said Tumbleson.

The Tilman study also disregards the ongoing increases in farming yields that have allowed farmers to produce many times more food despite a shrinking base of agricultural land in the United States.

In 1945 American farmers planted 90 million acres to produce 2.5 billion bushels of corn. In 2007 American farmers planted 93.6 million acres to produce 13 billion bushels of corn—a five times increase in productivity.

“Land Grant Universities were chartered in our country in order to help assure that all of our citizens could become self-sufficient producers of the food, fiber and other materials needed for living a free and prosperous life,” Tumbleson said. “We think these venerable institutions may have lost sight of that primary mission, when we hear from academics who argue that local production of food and energy is bad for the world.”

These University of Minnesota professors also disregard a much greater “thief” of agricultural land in the United States in the past 40 years – urban edge housing and commercial development.

“By their narrowly focused logic, both growing crops and the American Dream of owning a home would be considered crimes against the global climate,” Tumbleson said. “We find these basic premises in the Tilman study to be extreme and unworthy of the original mission of the Land Grant institution.”

A more balanced approach to land use might allow society to enjoy the variety of uses while preserving the environment, Tumbleson believes.

“The vast majority of existing land conversion occurs because of the construction of malls, parking lots, workplaces, roads, and subdivisions,” said local use policy expert David Morris (vice president, Institute for Local Self-Reliance). “The American Farmland Trust estimates that 200 million acres of U.S. Farmland have been lost since 1970 and another 2.2 million acres are lost every year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that between 1992 and 1997 the nation lost 12.8 million acres of agricultural land: cropland (5.3 million acres), pastureland (6.1 million acres), rangeland (1.4 million acres).

Morris suggested that Tilman’s hypothesis of acre-for-acre replacement of lost US farmland in other parts of the world could be empirically tested by looking at global land development during the past three four decades.

In contrast to conversion of land for residential and commercial use, Morris makes a rough estimate that only 12 million acres of existing farmland will switch from other uses into corn production, and another six million acres will come out of retired cropland conservation programs in order for U.S. corn producers to raise all the grain needed to cover all existing animal feed and human food uses, while increasing corn for ethanol up to the level necessary to produce 15 billion gallons of ethanol a year.

“One of the great benefits of using corn for both food and energy production is that the market can choose—if more food is necessary, than the crop is used as food,” said Tumbleson. “If push comes to shove in a competition for land uses, at least people can eat corn. The process of making biomass into food is a lot less direct, and yields less food per acre—how do we choose who gets to eat, Professor Tilman?”

Minnesota completes two studies in process to certify E20.

Written by Jonathan Eisenthal

(Posted march 6, 2008) Two out of three preliminary studies completed by Minnesota institutions are now complete and show that no performance or materials compatibility issues stand in the way of considering a blend of 20 percent ethanol into gas as a gasoline blend that can be used universally in motor vehicles.

Supporters, including Minnesota Corn Growers Association, the Renewable Fuels Association and Governor Tim Pawlenty have begun lobbying the federal government to fund and accelerate the remaining test protocols that would lead to EPA certification of the fuel as a regular form of gasoline.

The University of Minnesota has completed a drivability study and the Minnesota State College at Mankato tested the spectrum of engine materials that come in contact with fuel, to ascertain the compatibility of an E20 formulation with the range of cars and trucks driven on American roads today.

“The drivability test involved University of Minnesota fleet vehicles and the findings where that there were no performance problems,” said Ralph Groschen, a renewable fuels expert who facilitated the two tests conducted in Minnesota. Groschen further described the test, “We used forty pairs matched for make, model and model year, and the mileage and the duty cycle—whether they are driven long distances, or shorter trips with lots of stops. One member of the vehicle pair was issued a card that would allow it to access gasoline with no ethanol in it, and the other was issued a card that would only allow E20. The vehicles were filled exclusively at special pumps at U of M fleet headquarters. These vehicles ranged from 2000 to 2006 model years and included Ford, Chrysler, General Motors and Toyota vehicles. The pool of test vehicles ran the gamut of engine configurations from V-10s to hybrid electric vehicles. What we purposefully did not include was any flexible fuel vehicles, which are presumed to perform well with all higher blends.”

Groschen noted that in addition to having University personnel using these cars as part of their regular duties, professional drivability raters came and tested a random sample of these cars under seasonal weather conditions. The winter testing took place on a day that started out with single digits below zero air temperature and rose to a high of 6 degrees Fahrenheit. The summer season testing with professional raters took place on a day in July with air temperatures ranging between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

“We had a good representative sample of seasonal conditions,” said Grtoschen. “We had hot and cold, spring and fall weather. Consistently, in both lay evaluations and professional evaluations, drivers did not experience any significant difference in the operation of the vehicles running on conventional gasoline and the vehicles running on E20—we thought we would see more idling and acceleration problems in the winter and it just didn’t happen.”

Graduate interns will help ethanol plants study water and energy efficiency.

Written by Jonathan Eisenthal

(Story Posted June 20, 2008) Since the earliest stirrings of the current corn-based ethanol industry boom two decades ago, the drive to create greater efficiencies and to be as ‘green’ as possible have been recognized as ‘bottom line’ issues—contributing real money to the balance sheet and helping to win the public’s support for the effort to get America to kick its oil habit.

Minnesota farmers launched the modern ethanol industry and have consistently provided major investments in research and development to create greater and greater efficiencies. Organizations like Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council have been at the forefront of underwriting the rapid deployment of green technology.

The latest promise for innovation comes from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, through its MnTAP program, the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program. MnTAP Utilizing grant money from Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, MnTAP was created by the Minnesota Legislature in 1984 and has helped the whole spectrum of Minnesota industry reduce pollution and increase efficiency. MnTAP has created a partnership with two Minnesota ethanol plants to examine water and energy use at the plants in order to streamline efficiency and further expand the already impressive, ecologically sound approach of ethanol production.

The program will provide each plant with a graduate student who will spend the summer making feasibility studies of changes in water and energy use.

“We applaud the efforts of Granite Falls Energy in Granite Falls and Minnesota Energy in Buffalo Lake to once again do what has become the standard operating procedure for renewable energy companies—to engage in continuous improvement,” said Roger Moore, a farmer from Blue Earth, Minnesota, who serves as president of MIA program of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. “Americans have a right to expect that their energy production will continually become cleaner, and greener. Farm-based renewable energy is a cornerstone of that expectation.”

Granite Falls Energy will host graduate student Brian Ng, who will study the feasibility of placing a steam turbine in parallel with a pressure reducing station to recover escaping steam energy. Kevin Erickson, who is studying chemical engineering at the University of Minnesota, will spend the summer exploring water use reduction methods, and reuse strategies for the plant effluent at Buffalo Lake. Though ethanol wastewater is far more benign than the wastewater from other industries, there is still room for improvement.

“Companies who participate in the intern program reap economic benefits through reduced purchase and avoided disposal costs, and the state realizes benefits through fewer environmental emissions and improved business efficiency,” said Krysta Larson, a spokesperson for University of Minnesota School of Public Health. “In 2007, MnTAP interns helped nine companies save $74,800 by reducing 7 million gallons of water, 24 pounds of pharmaceuticals, 400,000 kWh and 1,121 therms per year. Additional savings of 380 pounds of pharmaceuticals, 13.8 million gallons of water, 14.1 million kWh and 161,040 therms is anticipated.”

The Minnesota Corn Growers Association Conducts Statewide Survey

Written by Administrator

SHAKOPEE, Minn. (April 28, 2008) The Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) announces the results from a statewide survey of 800 participants.

The survey asked questions regarding awareness and perceptions of renewable fuels, with specific focus on ethanol and biodiesel.   Sixty-seven percent of participants said they support the use of corn for the production of ethanol. Their support is driven by several key issues including: 

Providing jobs - 82 percent 
Economic benefit to communities - 81 percent 
Good alternative until better sources found - 81 percent 
Gives consumers fuel choices - 80 percent 
Reduces dependence on foreign oil and giving us more control over fuel supply - 74 percent 
Cleaner burning and better for the environment - 65 percent

Minnesota crop farmers have led the nation in the development of corn ethanol and soy based bio-diesel and we felt it was time to see how Minnesotans view this commitment," said Roger Moore, president of MCGA. "It is very significant that the vast majority of our citizens recognize the need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, with ethanol and biodiesel being desirable solutions that are abundantly available today."  

Minnesotans expressed strong opinions regarding our current energy imbalance with 91 percent stating that the United States is too dependent on foreign oil and 87 percent believing that the United States is not doing enough to develop energy sources. Additionally, 75 percent believe that global warming is happening. Nearly 7 out of 10 (68 percent) are driving less because of higher gasoline prices, which were $2.92 - 3.05 per gallon at the time of the survey. most participants in the survey believe that Minnesota crop farmers benefit the economy and provide safe and abundant food in an environmentally responsible manner. Of those surveyed 97 percent feel that Minnesota crop farmers are vital to a strong economy; 93 percent believe they provide safe/abundant food; and 81 percent feel that they take care of the state land and water resources. "It is gratifying that 90 percent of the respondents have a very favorable impression of Minnesota crop farmers, a position that all farmers and their families' value and worked hard to achieve," stated Moore.
The Minnesota survey was conducted by Strategic Resource Partners, LLC, a global marketing research consultancy headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company designs statewide, national and international surveys for a variety of Fortune 500 companies in industries such as telecommunications, financial services, travel, retail and publishing.
The primary sample sources were computer-generated, random digit telephone numbers from throughout Minnesota. Interviewing occurred from February 14 - 27, 2008 with participants ranging between 21 and 75 years of age. The sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence rate.  

This survey parallels the recent national survey conducted for The Renewable Fuels Now Coalition. "Almost half of the 1,200 voters polled by Peter D. Hart Research Associates Inc. rate [oil] imports one of their two biggest energy concerns. A distant second is the lack of viable alternatives to fossil fuels," states the Coalition. The national survey found: 

Fifty-seven percent of the voters rate energy issues as "very serious" concerns. 
Ranking lower was concern about the state of public schools (51 percent), job security (48 percent), home foreclosures (46 percent) or global warming (43 percent). 
Only the Iraq war and the cost of health insurance top energy issues as very serious concerns for more voters at 67 percent and 62 percent, respectively. Partial funding support was provided by Minnesota's soybean farmers and their checkoff.

About Minnesota Corn Growers Association The Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) founded in 1978, celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2008. MCGA is a membership-based organization with more than 5,800 members making it the largest state corn growers' organization in the nation. MCGA is dedicated to promoting and creating opportunities for Minnesota corn farmers while enhancing quality of life. Additional information can be obtained at www.mncorn.org.

Ethanol in the News

American Lung Association: Minnesota Uses More E85 in State-Owned Vehicles

(News release posted by PR Newswire on Manufacturing.Net - July 29, 2010)

Minnesota's state agencies continue to make steady progress in their effort to reduce the amount of petroleum consumed by publicly-owned vehicles. During the first two quarters of the year, state agencies used 437,063 gallons of E85, a cleaner burning fuel consisting of up to 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. That represents a nearly 25 percent increase over the amount used during the same period in 2009, according to Tim Morse, chair of the SmartFleet Committee, a group tasked with helping agencies comply with Executive Order 04-10, issued by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.