GoodFuels

RFA on Huffington Post

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen has written a blog post up on Huffington Post, where he talks about the food vs fuel debate.

He brings up some good points, including the USDA’s newly released WASDE study.

In the agency’s August 2008 World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE), a clear picture of the resiliency and productivity of American farmers emerges. Farmers in the US have faced obstacles of historic proportions this year as flooding threatened to severely hamper crop production in the American Midwest. As should have been expected however, American farmers have once again stepped up to the plate demonstrating that they can meet the feed and fuel needs of our economy.

Dinneen goes on to discuss the fact that ethanol critics continue to ignore evidence that ethanol is not significantly causing food prices to rise:

Despite numerous studies documenting that the role of ethanol was minimal and the impact of skyrocketing oil prices was far greater at every level of the food chain, these critics have kept up their drumbeat.

They ignored a study from Texas A&M University which found that reducing the level of ethanol production would have little, if any, impact on corn prices and that high oil prices were the dominant driver. A more recent study by economists at Purdue University found that skyrocketing oil prices, not ethanol production, accounted for 75% of the increase in corn prices.

He wraps up with a thoughtful conclusion on the state of American farming and food production.

World agriculture is more than capable of fulfilling its traditional role as food and feed providers, while also contributing significantly to a renewable, sustainable energy future. Our nation’s energy crisis will not solve itself. It will require bold action and thoughtful collaboration. Together with America’s ethanol industry, American farmers stand ready to play our role in helping to feed America and other parts of the world while reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil.

Read the entire post here.