New Report Highlights Ethanol's Role in Reducing Climate Change

New York and California Asked to Help Reduce Climate Change Gases With Aggressive Renewable Fuels Standard

WASHINGTON, May 30 -- Citing a new study, The Renewable Energy Action Project (REAP) today asked Congress to implement a more robust Renewable Fuels Standard and called on the New York and California delegation to realize that an aggressive RFS is the best way to reduce climate change gases, reduce petroleum use and create sustainable economic development from coast to coast.

Ethanol's ability to effectively reduce greenhouse gases was highlighted in a new report by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. The Pew Center is a non-profit, non-partisan and independent organization dedicated to providing credible information, straight answers, and innovative solutions in the effort to address global climate change. The study, written by David L. Greene of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Andreas Schafer of MIT, can be found at the following link: http://www.pewclimate.org/projects/ustransp.cfm

The study points out that because of ethanol's low carbon content and its ability to immediately blend into the existing petroleum infrastructure, reductions in greenhouse emissions can begin immediately. "Ethanol and other fuels that can be blended with petroleum fuels offer the greatest promise for reducing transportation greenhouse gas emissions during the next 15 years," the study reports.

According to the study, "corn based ethanol reduces full fuel-cycle GHG emissions by slightly more than 30 percent in comparison with gasoline." And the authors emphasized that increasing ethanol production from cellulose feedstocks can reduce net fuel-cycle GHG emissions to zero.

REAP believes the PEW study highlights the need for our country to aggressively pursue the use and production of renewable fuels such as ethanol.

"Ethanol's role in combating Climate Change is one of many reasons to implement an aggressive Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS)," said Will Coleman, legislative director of REAP. REAP is calling for a more robust RFS beginning at 3.5 billion gallons and increasing to 10 billion gallons by 2012.

"The Senate should get serious about addressing Climate Change and our increasing fuel needs, and institute a RFS that means something," said Coleman. "The California and New York delegations need to get over the politics of the coasts versus the Midwest and recognize that an aggressive renewable fuels policy is good for the nation as a whole. They should stop playing games with the RFS and demand an aggressive renewable fuels policy that insures that renewable fuels will be produced and used from California to New York."

"Let's be honest, California and New York combined are the biggest emitters of CO2 gases from the transportation sectors. We need ethanol in every gallon of gasoline to truly have an impact on climate change -- not just in the Midwest." Coleman added, "New York and California can be the leaders in new cellulosic ethanol development. Both states are in need of truly sustainable economic development. It is time to put parochial geographic rivalries aside and recognize the real benefits of an aggressive Renewable Fuels Standard."