Ethanol  

 
Water usage declining
Water used for gasoline
Is efficient
Its the best
Hurt economy
Ethanol is biodegradable 
Reduces emissions of pollutants
Reduces greenhouse gas emissions
Reduces C02 emissions
Benefits environment
Ethanol is beneficial, not harmful
Helps health 
Has positive energy balance
To large to cut
Won't be passed

Water usage declining

Renewable Fuels Association, 2009
The use of all natural resources, including water, in ethanol production is an issue the
U.S. ethanol industry takes very seriously.  That is why ethanol producers are researching
ways to reduce water use.  Those efforts are paying off. According to survey data
compiled by the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, water
consumption at America's ethanol biorefineries decreased 26.6% from 2001 to 2006. 

Impact: The water problem is being looked into, and being taken care of.

Water used for gasoline

Renewable Fuels Association, 2009
A gallon of gasoline requires anywhere from 2.5-8 gallons of water to produce.

Impact: Why ban ethanol, the better alternative fuel, because of water not being available,
when gasoline also requires water?

Ethanol is efficient
Renewable Fuels Association, 2009
According to survey data compiled by the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne
National Laboratory over the period 2001 to 2006, over the five-year period the industry
was using 15.7% less electricity and on the whole, total energy use decreased 21.8%.  A
similar survey conducted by a consulting firm, Christianson and Associates, determined
that total energy and electricity used at dry mills fell by 13%.  On average, a gallon of
ethanol containing 77,000 BTUs requires just 31,588 BTUs to produce at the biorefinery.

Impact: The ethanol is being produced in such a way that it is becoming more efficient.
Ethanol Is #1 in the Market
Renewable Fuels Association, 2009
Ethanol is the highest performance fuel on the market and keeps today's high-
compression engines running smoothly.

Impact: No reason to ban the best fuel out there.

Hurt economy
American Coalition for ethanol
The production and use of ethanol benefits our economy on all levels - local, state, and
national. From the local communities where the crops are grown and processed to the
metropolitan areas where drivers fill up with a domestically produced fuel, American-
made ethanol propels the economy.

Impact: America is highly dependent on ethanol, and we can't just cease to supply it
without dramatic consequences. 

Ethanol is biodegradable 
Renewable Fuels Association, 2009
Ethanol is rapidly biodegraded in surface water, groundwater and soil, and is the safest
component in gasoline today.

Reduces emissions of pollutants

U.S. Department of Energy, July 10, 2009
Using ethanol as a vehicle fuel provides local and global benefits—reducing emissions of
harmful pollutants and greenhouse gases
[The article goes on to say that...]
The CO2 released when ethanol is burned as a vehicle fuel is offset by the CO2 captured
when crops used to make the ethanol are grown. As a result, ethanol-powered vehicles
produce less net CO2 than gasoline-powered vehicles per mile traveled.

Impact: Ethanol is NOT harming the environment, as the affirmative team claims.

Reduces greenhouse gas emissions

Ethanol Facts - clean air, clean fuel, 2009
The use of ethanol-blended fuels reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 12-19% compared
with conventional gasoline, according to Argonne National Laboratory.

Impact: By using ethanol, we are creating LESS greenhouse gasses, not more.

Reduces C02 emissions

Ethanol Facts - clean air, clean fuel, 2009
In 2003, ethanol use in the U.S. reduced C02-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by
approximately 5.7 million tons, equal to removing the annual emissions of more than
853,000 cars from the road.
Benefits environment
Ethanol Facts - clean air, clean fuel, 2009
Other benefits to the environment:
• Ethanol reduces tailpipe carbon monoxide emissions by as much as 30%.
• Ethanol reduces exhaust VOC  emissions by 12%.
• Ethanol reduces toxic emissions by 30%.
[Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic chemical compounds that have high
enough vapor pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the
atmosphere. Volatile organic compounds are numerous and varied. Although ubiquitous
in nature and modern industrial society, they may also be harmful or toxic. VOCs, or
subsets of the VOCs, are often regulated.]

Impact: Quite simply, ethanol is beneficial, so don't ban it.

Ethanol is beneficial, not harmful

The Farm Gate, Oct. 21, 2008
Economic studies of agriculture, and particularly subsidies, usually cast a negative light
on the time-worn policy. However, considering the financial benefits received by corn
growers in a variety of farm program payments, and at the same time looking at the
financial benefits of the ethanol subsidies to agriculture, energy, and consumers, it is
possible to say the US biofuels promotion policy has resulted in a beneficial program that
has reduced outlay of farm program payments and boosted other industries and
consumers.

Impact: Why should we ban a beneficial policy? If you vote affirmative, that is exactly
what will happen.

Health Benefits
Renewable Fuels Association, 2009
The American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago credits ethanol-blended
reformulated gasoline with reducing smog-forming emissions by 25% since 1990.

Impact: Ethanol is helping the health of American people.

Has positive energy balance

2004 U.S. Department of Agriculture Study
According to a 2004 U.S. Department of Agriculture Study, ethanol yields 67% more
fossil energy than is used to grow and harvest the grain and process it into ethanol.

Impact: Ethanol is energy efficient.

Ethanol Drives Down Oil Prices

Green Options, March 9, 2009
The 9 billion gallons of ethanol that Americans used last year helped drive down oil
prices. For those of us who fuel our vehicles with gasoline, as much as 10 percent of that
gasoline is ethanol.

Cellulosic Ethanol Supported In SQ

Reuters, January 13, 2009
One bright spot for the industry could be President-elect Barack Obama, from the Corn
Belt state of Illinois, who has pushed ethanol since he was elected to the Senate in 2004.
Obama has pledged higher renewable fuel standards for advanced biofuels, such as
cellulosic ethanol, building out distribution infrastructure and mandating "flexfuel" for
vehicles.

*RFA - Renewable Fuels Association: As the national trade association for the U.S.
ethanol industry, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) promotes policies, regulations
and research and development initiatives that will lead to the increased production and
use of fuel ethanol.

*Ethanol Facts, clean air, clean fuel - aka - Wisconsin Corn Growers Association: The
Wisconsin Corn Growers Association represents the interest of state corn growers in the
growing and managing of corn grown both for on-farm feeding and commercial sale.

*The Farm Gate - aka - Stu Ellis: Stu Ellis, formerly with University of Illinois
Extension, serves as The farm gate editor. Ellis has been a presence in Illinois agriculture
for more than thirty years. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in
communications from the U of I.

*Green Options - author - John Addison: John Addison writes about green transportation.
He is the publisher of the Clean Fleet Report and has taught extension courses at the
University of California at Davis and at Santa Cruz.

*Reuters: a UK-based, Canadian-controlled news service and former financial market

data provider that provides reports from around the world to newspapers and
broadcasters.

*American Coalition for ethanol: The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) is the
grassroots voice of the U.S. ethanol industry, the nation's largest association dedicated to
the production and use of ethanol. ACE is a non-profit, membership-based organization
of more than 1,500 members nationwide, including: ethanol producers, farmers,
investors, the agriculture community, industry suppliers, rural electric cooperatives, and
others supportive of the increased production and use of ethanol across America.