FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Brittany Jablonsky, 202-314-3108
bjablonsky@nfudc.org

WASHINGTON (May 29, 2014) – National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement on the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) recent publication, “Ethanol’s Broken Promise: Using Less Corn Ethanol Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions”:

“EWG’s finding that corn ethanol creates more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than regular gasoline is simply wrong. This publication is more of a political statement than a scientific analysis.

“The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory found that corn ethanol reduces GHG emissions by 34 percent compared to gasoline. This includes a robust lifecycle analysis taking hypothetical indirect land use change emissions into account.

“Unfortunately, EWG bills itself as an environmental organization but is advocating for policies that will do more harm to the environment. It is laughable to claim that gasoline that is derived from petroleum is more environmentally friendly than ethanol produced from a renewable resource.”

National Farmers Union has been working since 1902 to protect and enhance the economic well-being and quality of life for family farmers, ranchers and rural communities through advocating grassroots-driven policy positions adopted by its membership.

-30-