Doubts grow about ethanol as fuel additive

 The Hill:

A new study is casting doubt on the climate benefits of using ethanol as a fuel, finding that it may actually contribute more to global warming than gasoline.

Researchers found that emissions from changes in land use to account for the growing demand for corn make corn-based ethanol no cleaner than gasoline.

In fact, they determined that these changes likely make ethanol’s emissions at least 24 percent higher than those for gasoline, according to their study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A 2005 law established what’s known as the “Renewable Fuel Standard” requiring a certain quantity of biofuels, a category that includes ethanol, to be blended into gasoline.
...

I have long opposed the ethanol requirement.  It makes engines less efficient meaning they burn more fuel.  It is also destructive for many small engines from lawnmowers to chain saws. It has never been clear to me why you have to pay more for fuel without ethanol added.  The corn farmers appear to be the main beneficiary of the requirement and they have a stronger lobby in Washington than the fossil fuel producers.

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