Corn Ethanol Goal Revives Dead Zone Concerns

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 calls for the production of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022, including 15 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol, a tripling of current production that would require a similar increase in corn production. Yet scientists are coming to understand that biofuels, which originally sounded like a sensible response to the twin problems of climate change and dependence on foreign oil, create environmental problems of their own. One such problem is an increase in nitrogen runoff as farmers rush to plant more corn to meet growing demand for ethanol. According to the National Corn Growers Association, rising corn prices prompted farmers to plant 92.9 million acres of the grain in 2007, a 19% increase over the prior year.

more from EHP Online