Growth Energy Responds to Ethanol Attacks

DomesticFuel.com
Posted by Cindy Zimmerman – February 11th, 2011

Once again, ethanol is being attacked by the national media for causing food shortages.

In a Washington Post editorial today, long-time ethanol opponent Tim Searchinger writes about “How biofuels contribute to the food crisis.” While admitting the “2008 food crisis” resulted from a number of causes, Searchinger said, “We should recognize the ways in which biofuels are driving it.”

In response, Growth Energy released a chart showing ethanol’s small slice of total global grain supplies and CEO Tom Buis said Searchinger used the op-ed to defend his “indirect land use scheme.”

“Ethanol is both a food and a fuel business. What is ignored in this piece is that every ethanol plant in the country turns out animal feed as well as fuel – we only take the starch out of the corn kernel but put all the protein, fiber and oils right back into the food supply as ‘dried distillers grains.’ Even then, ethanol’s use of the global grain supply is a fraction,” said Buis. “The notion that ethanol is causing today’s food crisis ignores reality: the reality of the market, the reality of global trade agreements, the reality that other countries have their own domestic farm policies, and the reality that Wall Street’s rampant speculation is driving up food prices.”

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