Corn, renewable fuels industry rebut World Resources study
January 30, 2015 |07:11 AM
The World Resources Institute said Thursday that eliminating the production of fuels made from corn, sugar and vegetable oils, would help narrow the gap between food demand and need as the world's population grows, but the U.S. corn and renewable fuels industries disputed the theories behind the paper.
“This ‘new’ study is just more of the same, tired arguments Big Oil have been using for years,” said Keith Alverson, South Dakota corn grower and a member of the Corn Board. “They simply are not true.”
“There is more than enough corn to meet all demands: food, fuel, feed, and fiber,” Alverson added. “Our farmers have grown the largest 11 corn crops in history over the last 11 years — and we’re doing so more efficiently than ever.”
“The World Resources Institute’s latest report repackages old, previously debunked food and fuel, as well as Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) myths in attempts to discredit an American success story, one that is producing both food and fuel, while also improving our environment,” said Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis.
“WRI is relying on the same analyses and falsehoods utilized by Big Oil and their allies that have already been proven to be incorrect,” Buis said.
“Instead of promoting a farm economy that produces both food and fuel, it is unfortunate that they have fallen victim to the rhetoric of industries that are only interested in market control and their own profitability, even if it means causing consumer price increases, environmental degradation and adverse health outcomes that impact the poorest among us.”
▪ World Resources Institute — Avoiding Bioenergy Competition for Food Crops and Land
“This ‘new’ study is just more of the same, tired arguments Big Oil have been using for years,” said Keith Alverson, South Dakota corn grower and a member of the Corn Board. “They simply are not true.”
“There is more than enough corn to meet all demands: food, fuel, feed, and fiber,” Alverson added. “Our farmers have grown the largest 11 corn crops in history over the last 11 years — and we’re doing so more efficiently than ever.”
“The World Resources Institute’s latest report repackages old, previously debunked food and fuel, as well as Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) myths in attempts to discredit an American success story, one that is producing both food and fuel, while also improving our environment,” said Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis.
“WRI is relying on the same analyses and falsehoods utilized by Big Oil and their allies that have already been proven to be incorrect,” Buis said.
“Instead of promoting a farm economy that produces both food and fuel, it is unfortunate that they have fallen victim to the rhetoric of industries that are only interested in market control and their own profitability, even if it means causing consumer price increases, environmental degradation and adverse health outcomes that impact the poorest among us.”
▪ World Resources Institute — Avoiding Bioenergy Competition for Food Crops and Land
