Ethanol facts:
- It takes as much farmland to fuel one American car with
ethanol for a year as to feed seven Americans for a year. US Dept of
Agriculture Report
- To fuel America’s cars with ethanol would require about 2
billion acres of cropland: more than 5 times all the cropland that is actually
and potentially available in the United States. David Pimental, Cornell
University
- The total energy input to produce one gallon of ethanol is
129,000 BTU. However, one gallon of ethanol has an energy value of only 76,000
BTU: a net loss of 53,600 BTU. Pimental, Cornell U.
- Archer Daniels Midland, a giant corporation that
manufactures ethanol, is one of the largest contributors of “soft money” to both
the Democratic and Republican parties – ensuring that whichever party is in
power, ethanol will be subsidized. By Oct 30, 2002, the company had contributed
over $1.1 million to the Democratic party and $2 mil to the Republicans. Every
dollar earned by ADM from it ethanol operation costs American taxpayers $30.
- Using a blend of corn ethanol and gas in a car causes MORE pollution than gasoline alone. Not only are you burning energy to make ethanol, but ethanol makes gas more volatile, so when it is blended, more pollution is caused due to evaporation. This is supported by the work done at the EPA and by other scientific groups. The Natural Defense Council & the Clean Air Trust have joined California in suing the EPA over requiring ethanol.
- Ethanol plants do not create more jobs. Minnesota’s Program Evaluation Division concluded that the increased taxes to support ethanol subsidies cause more loss of jobs in retail than those created by the ethanol plants.
- Ethanol plants have been releasing many times greater
pollution into the air than previously reported. The ethanol industry will tell
you the answer is to fit your plant with a thermal oxidizer – but check out the
news articles in St. Paul about the thermal oxidizer on the Gopher State plant.
The St. Paul City Council recently voted to support closing down Gopher State.
NO to SB2222!
Stop Thief
c/o Norman C. (Clint) Cooper
4848 Highway 85, Lot 119
Williston, ND 58801-8612
701-572-1432 (Please call
before 6 PM)