The Corn Ethanol and Water Pollution Boondoggle

Liberty Nation News ^ | Jan 4, 2024 | | John Klar

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Use land for food, not folly.

Climate change activists increasingly target agriculture as a primary source of greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. Too often this translates into condemnation of gentle cows or the pleasures of meat-eating, instead of drawing attention to proper farming practices and land management. This is especially true with respect to water use and the ethanol industry.

Water in Agriculture

American agriculture has continued to be dominated by ever-larger farms and producers, increasing productivity and economic growth and amplifying vital water resources’ drawdowns. This is apparent in water-precious regions such as Arizona and California, but also includes Idaho’s exploding dairy industry and Arkansas’ astoundingly productive poultry economy.

Growing alfalfa for cows (or for export to China), and corn and soy for chickens, requires substantial amounts of water in addition to what is used for the animals themselves. Corn and soy require chemical applications that erode soils and contribute to water pollution. The larger the scale of operations, the more significant the environmental impacts – especially on water resources.

Food Versus Ethanol

Voices calling to curtail carnivorous dining are howling up the wrong cornstalk: Reassessing the impacts of ethanol production and livestock management methodology would leave the American palate intact. These are problems not of animal pollution but of animal husbandry and sensible land management.

The United States leads the world in biofuel production. Of the 92 million American acres planted to corn in 2023, approximately 40% will be processed into ethanol to meet subsidized mandates in Americans’ fuel blends. Ethanol incentives have pushed up corn prices, but also encouraged farmers to reduce lands used in (carbon-sequestering) conservation programs and expand corn cropping to less desirable soils and slopes. The combined effect is to make ethanol production a much less attractive environmental alternative than has been presented.

Corn Ethanol Is Environmentally Destructive

Corn is a particularly soil-draining...

[Steven Scharf]

Into the sewer system. It is dirty water used for cleaning, etc.

I know about this because a local brewery was being mischarged for their water usage and conversely for their sewer fees. The city sued them for the missing usage. They used a figure of number of gallons produce time 9 to come up with the initial number.

It actually was the city’s fault and there was paper trail going back several years noting that the city sewer dept knew about it but had done nothing to fix the problem. It was a simple fix of putting an additional meter on a pipe that had not been installed when the plant was expanded.