The Flip Side of Ethanol
Check out this recent article in the LA Times – Ethanol Market, USDA Policies Shrink Conservation Reserve by Tim Reiterman – about how the government’s plan to boost corn production to meet rising ethanol demands could adversely affect our conservation areas.It’s a great article because it shows how switching to less environmentally harmful practices on one front can result in harmful consequences on others…if we’re not vigilant and willing to keep working on lessening our environmental footprint.For this reason, environmentalists can’t stop to celebrate each environmental "victory." Otherwise, the rising interest in biofuels to help curb oil production could just result in the degradation of invaluable habitat – whether it’s wetlands converted to corn fields in the US or rainforest to palm oil plantations in Indonesia!
[The recycled-veggie-oil powered Bend to Baja rig. Photo: Jeff Johnson]