By Lauren Fix, Car Coach Reports
We are all feeling the pain at the pump.
As gasoline prices rose in the 15 years (or so) ago, some suggested that converting our corn supply to ethanol was the answer—and both the automotive industry and “environmentalists” quickly embraced the theory. Now, with hindsight always better than foresight, a new study finds that corn-based ethanol may actually be worse than gasoline for the environment.
As a refresher, ethanol is made from corn, and for years it’s been mixed in the gasoline to be sold at America’s gas pumps.
Typically you see E10, E15 or E85. The “E” is the ethanol percentage mixed with gasoline.
Ethanol is now a key ingredient in today’s gasoline, but the promise of ethanol as an oil and climate solution is not all that the government promised. A new study published by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) could deliver a death blow to E85 ethanol fuels.
The new NAS study now contends that corn-based ethanol is worse for the environment than gasoline. In fact, it’s at least 24 percent more carbon intensive than gas. Predictably, the ethanol trade lobby has trashed the study because they’re able to slop at the government trough of subsidies. They get paid for the corn whether it worked as an additive or not.
The report could influence future use of biofuels, a subject now under review by the government.
When it was originally introduced, automakers were onboard with the use of E85. It was “better for the planet,” according to its proponents. So corn that would normally go to feed millions of people around the globe would instead be processed to fill your gas tank. It takes seven bushels of corn to create one gallon of ethanol. Farmers took the subsidies (who’d blame them?) but the results included an unintended consequence of an increase in food costs. Farmers could have produced other products but the government and environmentalists pushed hard for their efforts.
Under the 2005 Renewable Fuel Standard Act, US refiners were required to mix 15 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol into gasoline each year. Meanwhile, there was pressure on refiners to boost distribution of E85, a fuel mix of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.
Compliance required vehicle modifications, such as the use of stainless steel fuel lines, to prevent damage from highly corrosive ethanol. Despite the added cost, automakers were pushed to make E-85 Flex Fuel cars, in order to earn fuel economy credits they received for those models.
This government push for ethanol technology never lived up to its billing and dependence upon corn-based ethanol grew rapidly. Between 2008 and 2016, the new study noted, US farmland devoted to providing corn for alcohol grew by 6.9 million acres. It should be noted, though, that while the increase in acreage might be thought of as land “used to feed people,” what most consider table “sweet corn” is a tiny percentage of our corn crop, with the vast majority used for animal feed and production of high-fructose corn syrups.
Still, the result created the opposite effect of what ethanol backers claimed, according to the research which was backed, in part by the National Wildlife Federation and US Department of Energy. Carbon stored in soil was released, while the use of fertilizers increased. Modern fertilizers create numerous environmental problems, starting with emissions released during their production.
Predictably, the Renewable Fuels Association claims the study is based on “worst-case assumptions and cherry-picked data.”
It’s important to note that you can still find gasoline without ethanol. This is needed for collector cars, small engines such as lawn mowers, ATV and snowmobiles.
The Bottom Line
The NAS study could have a big impact on an in-progress review of the use of biofuels. The original mandates were extended through 2022.
The EPA is expected to announce future targets in May that could impact the levels of all biofuels, as the current administration wants to push and focus the shift to electrified vehicles.
Any cutback or modification to ethanol as a gasoline component is likely to generate severe controversy and could come into play as an issue during the upcoming mid-term elections.
The government loves to push new agendas without doing the research or how “flavor of the month” agendas impact the environment, consumers and at-the-pump. We need look no further than use of asbestos and lead paints to realize that jumping without knowing what’s on the other side of the hurdle can yield disastrous—and expensive—results.
Lauren Fix, The Car Coach®, is a nationally recognized automotive expert, analyst, author, and television host. A trusted car expert, Lauren provides an insider’s perspective on a wide range of automotive topics and aspects, energy, industry, consumer news, and safety issues.
Lauren is the CEO of Automotive Aspects and the Editor-in-Chief of Car Coach Reports, a global automotive news outlet. She is an automotive contributor to national and local television news shows, including Fox News, Fox Business, CNN International, The Weather Channel, Inside Edition, Local Now News, Community Digital News, and more. Lauren also co-hosts a regular show on ABC.com with Paul Brian called “His Turn – Her Turn” and hosts regular radio segments on USA Radio – DayBreak.
Lauren is honored to be inducted into the Women’s Transportation Hall of Fame and a Board Member of the Buffalo Motorcar Museum and Juror / President for the North American Car, Utility & Truck of the Year Awards.
Check her out on Twitter and Instagram @LaurenFix.
