Minnesota Farmers Union

(February 17, 2009) - We receive a lot of information through the media.  The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently sited a study that claimed corn ethanol is not better than gasoline for the environment.  My frustration is that from the looks of it, the study just offers criticisms, and does not give the corn ethanol industry credit for producing a clean and non-foreign substitute that is helping the United States take a step toward being less dependent on foreign oil.

Another criticism I have of this study is that it is by the University of Minnesota, and it provides unfavorable information on the corn ethanol industry without offering any suggestions.  The University of Minnesota is a land grant college, and many believe the University of Minnesota should work with farm organizations, and commodity groups, and with the great resources we have here in Minnesota to take us one step further in reaching home-grown energy independence.

I wanted to mention that WCCO's Pat Kessler did a "Reality Check" about this story and the study.  One thing he pointed out was that the study neglects to mention that both the ethanol and oil industries are subsidized, and that a gallon of E-85 costs about $1.45 a gallon, but without subsidies would be $2.23 a gallon; whereas a gallon of gasoline costs $1.85, and without subsidies would cost $5.85 a gallon.