Growing Problems Biofuels have been around since 1823 when Samuel Morey, a mill owner, used ethanol

and turpentine in a steam engine; other farmers soon followed suit using ethanol for lamps and other household use. When Henry Ford, developed the first Model-T, it was designed to consume ethanol and gasoline. When the First World War rolled around demand was high, so Americans turned to the less expensive alternative gasoline. Small amounts of ethanol were still used to help stop the knocking in engines, but later during the prohibition the market turned to lead instead after the government was worried gas stations would turn into speakeasies. The 1973 Arab Oil Embargo helped the biofuel industry gain some ground since oil prices were rising astronomically. During this time Americans were now considering the renewable fuel option to help alleviate the problems the country was facing. Still, ethanol did not see a large leap in production until 2005 when the Environmental Protection Agency made the renewable fuel mandate program. The renewable fuel mandate program encompassed the Renewable Fuel Standard Program (RFS), which ordered that 15.2 billion gallons of renewable fuels be mixed with present fuels and of that 8.6 million gallons must be cellulosic biofuels. This standard was forced upon the oil companies, and if the oil companies did not meet the standards then they would have to buy credits that penalized them for not complying with standards. (RFS) This paper will organize the people in groups identified in the corrupt scandal that is biofuels from the US government, oil companies, food manufacturers, to the average American taxpayer who goes to the gas station to fill up their car once

a week unknowing that 10 percent of the fuel their using is ethanol. This paper will be more geared to the average working class American, but will identify all parties that have a hand in the production of biofuels showing their possible motives for producing ethanol in the first place. To start off biofuels or ethanol is produced much the same a alcohol, using cellulosic material such as corn, switchgrass, or sugar cane, the cellulose is broken down into simple sugars using heat and water. The water and cellulosic material mix is known as the mash, this is fermented with yeast to create ethanol, but creates carbon dioxide as a byproduct. When the mixture is fermented it is distilled which means boiling off the ethanol into steam then cooling down the steam into a liquid ethanol. When the ethanol is a liquid gasoline is added so that the ethanol cannot be used for human consumption. When a person goes to the gas pump to fill their car they are filling it with 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol, and inadvertently paying more per gallon, because the production of ethanol is more expensive than gasoline. (Doggett) In addition to this taxpayers are paying additional subsidies totaling $29 billion; $11.5 billion for refiners blending ethanol into gasoline, $5 billion to farmers growing corn for the biofuel industry, etc. (Estimating) Also does it seem logical in a world where 2.5% of the water is freshwater and using 300 gallons of water that could be used for human consumption to produce one measly gallon of ethanol fuel? (Weeks) The comical part of the whole biofuel craze is that biofuels are supposed to be environmentally friendly and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, but this is a false reality the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Federal

Government is trying to push onto the American People. The truth is that producing biofuels accounts for 75% of nitrous oxide production, which in fact is 300 times more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. (Nitrous) In Brazil, since the biofuel market emerged, sugarcane production is on the rise, but large agricultural companies are destroying the rainforest to make room for sugarcane production. On a positive note, the subsistence farmers producing sugarcane have the opportunity to sell their sugarcane first to biofuel refineries which helps low income farmers. (Beary) Some researchers are also saying that increased amounts of land being used for ethanol production will increase runoff of pesticides making it hard to preserve the land and the production of corn requires six times more fertilizer and pesticide use than most crops. (Price) Does the production biofuels or ethanol effect food production or food prices? The answer to that question is yes; biofuel production directly affects food prices and production. In 2007, Tyson Foods, the leader in meat processing, issued a statement that said increased production of ethanol will lead to higher chicken, beef and pork prices. The CEO of Tyson Foods, Richard Bond later said, The American Consumer is making the choice here, it is either corn for feed or corn for fuel, thats whats causing this. (Kabel) The need to stop ethanol production is on the rise; ethanol production is responsible for the rapid grain price inflation, and has caused global staple food prices to rise 75%. The more biofuels that are produced the less food people have to eat. Biofuels are killing and causing malnutrition in third world countries who cannot afford the increase in price of food; relief agencies can no longer afford to send food to countries because of the rise in food prices.

(Calder) Looking at the situation logically, take Afghanistan for example, farmers in Afghanistan could grow food but they would rather grow heroin because they can earn more profit off of it; now take corn and other cellulosic plants, farmers are going to want to grow them more because they have the opportunity to earn more money off of them. Biofuels currently have no place in the current society, they are too expensive to produce and are not energy efficient; it takes 1.33 gallons of ethanol to equal the energy output of 1 gallon of gasoline. In addition, ethanol contains water, which means that fuel lines can rust easier, and fiber glass gas tanks could corrode faster than with regular unleaded gasoline. (Calder) Sometime in the future biofuels could have their place, with increased technology biofuel have the potential to be just as or even more efficient than fossil fuels. For example, scientists are now working on new innovative ways to produce biofuels, and they predict decades from now one acre of an algae farm could create 5,000 gallons of biofuels. (Katel) Biofuels are detrimental to society and the environment and saying its green energy is sickening, society must open their mouths against biofuels. Following the green movement is great, but question everything that is environmentally friendly; one may never know that such a little thing as biofuel production is causing such a negative impact to society, not just in ones community, but everywhere across the globe.

Works Cited Beary, Brian. Brazil on the Rise. CQ Global Researcher 7 June 2011: 263-90. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. (Beary) Calder, Christopher. The Renewable Energy Disaster. The Renewable Energy Disaster. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014 (Calder) Doggett, Tom. "Senate Votes to Extend Ethanol Subsidy for 2011." (n.d.): n. pag. Reuters. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. (Doggett) "Estimating U.S. Government Subsidies to Energy Sources: 2002-2008." Estimating U.S. Government Subsidies to Energy Sources: 2002-2008 (n.d.): 21-24. Environmental Law Institute, 2009. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. (Estimating) Kabel, Marcus. "Tyson Foods Sees Higher Meat Prices." AP Online. The Associated Press, 14 Nov. 2006. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. (Kabel) Katel, Peter. Future of the Airlines. CQ Researcher 7 Mar. 2008: 217-40. Web. 22 Mar. 2014. (Katel) Nitrous Oxide Emissions. EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. (Nitrous) Price, Tom. "The New Environmentalism." CQ Researcher 1 Dec. 2006: 985-1008. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. (Price) "Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. (RFS) Weeks, Jennifer. Energy Policy. CQ Researcher 20 May 2011: 457-80. Web. 22 Mar. 2014. (Weeks)