Of those, perhaps the most wrongheaded
are the tangle of subsidies, mandates and
tariffs to encourage the production of biofuels
from crops in the United States and the
European Union. According to the World Bank,
almost all of the growth in global corn
production from 2004 to 2007 was devoted to
American ethanol production — pushing up corn
and animal feed prices and prompting farmers to
switch from other crops to corn.” New
York Times Editorial, July 6, 2008
“What I've said is my top priority is
making sure people are able to get enough to
eat. If it turns out we need to make changes in
our ethanol policy to help people get something
to eat, that has got to be the step we take. We
have rising food prices around the United
States. In other countries, we're seeing riots
because of the lack of food supply, so this is
something we're going to have to deal with.”
Barack Obama, D-Ill., on NBC's "Meet
the Press,"
May 4, 2008
“From 1990 to 2005, world grain
consumption, driven largely by population
growth and rising consumption of grain-based
animal products, climbed by an average of 21
million tons per year. Then came the explosion
in demand for grain used in U.S. ethanol
distilleries, which jumped from 54 million tons
in 2006 to 81 million tons in 2007. This 27
million ton jump more than doubled the annual
growth in world demand for grain. If 80 percent
of the 62 distilleries now under construction
are completed by late 2008, grain used to
produce fuel for cars will climb to 114 million
tons, or 28 percent of the projected 2008 U.S.
grain harvest.”
Lester R. Brown, Earth Policy Institute
“We appreciate the good intentions
behind the push for renewable fuels. In fact
we’re diversifying our state’s energy portfolio
at a rapid rate, but this misguided mandate is
significantly affecting Texans’ family food
bill. There are multiple factors contributing
to our skyrocketing grocery prices, but a
waiver of RFS levels is the best, quickest way
to reduce those costs before permanent damage
is done.”
Texas Governor Rick Perry, In a letter
to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson
April
25, 2008
“The irony is that U.S. taxpayers, by
subsidizing the conversion of grain into
ethanol, are in effect financing a rise in
their own food prices. It is time to end the
subsidy for converting food into fuel and to do
it quickly before the deteriorating world food
situation spirals out of control.”
Lester R. Brown, Earth Policy Institute
“In recent weeks, the correlation
between government biofuel mandates and rapidly
rising food prices has become undeniable. At a
time when the U.S. economy is facing recession,
Congress needs to reform its "food-to-fuel"
policies and look at alternatives to strengthen
energy security."
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson R-Texas
“From an agricultural vantage point,
the automotive demand for fuel is insatiable.
The grain it takes to fill a 25-gallon tank
with ethanol just once will feed one person for
a whole year. Converting the entire U.S. grain
harvest to ethanol would satisfy only 16
percent of U.S. auto fuel needs.”
Lester R. Brown, Earth Policy Institute
“U.S. energy policy has been friendly
to ethanol in the last couple of decades. The
question is, will it continue to be. It's
running up food prices and that's causing
pressure on Congress to limit mandates for
ethanol usage," said Neil Harl, an emeritus
professor of economics at Iowa State
University.”
Neil Harl, IA State, dean of ag
economists
April 20, 2008
“The world desperately needs a strategy
to deal with the emerging food-fuel battle. As
the leading grain producer, grain exporter, and
ethanol producer, the United States is in the
driver’s seat. We need to make sure that in
trying to solve one problem—our dependence on
imported oil—we do not create a far more
serious one: chaos in the world food economy.”
Lester R. Brown, Earth Policy “As we
pursue diversity in our overall energy mix, we
must also pursue diversity in our biofuels.
This means moving away gradually from ethanol
produced from foodstocks like corn.”
Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman
April 15, 2008