Industry Groups Still Misleading Public on Biofuels

In response to today’s industry-sponsored press conference on biodiesels and the environment, Mighty Earth released the following statement from Campaign Director Margaret Hansbrough:

“The full carbon footprint of biodiesel is as bad or worse than that of dirty fossil fuels. Big Ag and its allies are ignoring a decade’s worth of academic research demonstrating the negative environmental impacts of using these crops for fuel. In addition to climate-changing emissions, the amount of land needed to grow these biofuels has meant less land for wildlife, food crops, or forests – both here in the U.S. and around the world.

“As U.S. lands are taken over by biofuel cultivation efforts, the ecosystems in our prairies, forests, and other natural areas disappear. Native vegetation, pollinators, and wildlife suffer. And as that land is tilled, it releases sequestered carbon from the soil and accelerates climate change. Finally, the harmful chemicals used to grow these biofuel crops at industrial scale contaminate our water supply.

“While we believe that waste-based and cellulosic biofuel production are worthy of government investment, any policymaker who is serious about tackling climate change and conservation should reject food-based biofuels.”