Environmental Fact Sheet

Ethanol's impact on the environment has recently been open for debate between ethanol supporters and non-supporters alike. Luckily, for those who are looking to educate themselves, there is a plethora of research showcasing ethanol's positive impact on the environment

Ethanol is a renewable fuel choice that continues to guide America towards energy independence. Putting ethanol in your vehicle is the quickest and easiest way to reduce your impact on the environment.

Fact: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ethanol is a renewable, environmentally friendly fuel that is inherently cleaner than gasoline. It is actually the cleanest burning fuel option available to consumers today.

• Studies have shown that air pollution has serious effects on respiratory health, including increased death rates in the elderly and the worsening of asthma in children. Pure ethanol contains 35 percent oxygen and burns cleaner than gasoline. When added to the fuel, ethanol is known as an "oxygenate." Oxygenates are added to motor vehicle fuel to make them burn more cleanly, thereby reducing toxic tailpipe pollution.
  Source: American Coalition for Ethanol
• About half of the United States population relies to some extent on groundwater as a source of drinking water. Ethanol is biodegradable and does not pollute groundwater.
  Source: American Coalition for Ethanol
• According to Dr. Michael Wang of Argonne National Laboratory, one gallon of ethanol reduces carbon dioxide (CO2)emissions by 6.41 pounds. Recent research has found that CO2 is the largest contributor of global climate change, the term used to categorize significant climate changes that are detrimental to human and plant life. Ethanol is a very real and instrumental resource needed to help reduce the impact of global climate change.
  Source: Argonne National Laboratory
• In 2007, ethanol use in the United States reduced CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 10.1 million tons, equal to removing the annual emissions of more than 1.5 million cars from the road. Now, just imagine if every vehicle on the road today was a flex-fuel vehicle?
  Source: Argonne National Laboratory's GREET 1.7 Model
• Ethanol has a positive energy balance. A 2004 USDA study found that ethanol contains 67 percent more energy than it takes to produce.
  Source: USDA Energy Balance of Corn Ethanol: An Update
• By 2050, biofuels, especially cellulosic ethanol, could reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 1.7 billion tons per year. That's equal to more than 80 percent of current transportation related emissions. Just imagine how much cleaner our air will be for our children and their children.
  Source: Better Environmental Solutions>
• Burning 7 billion gallons of ethanol reduces 14 million tons of CO2 each year. Current ethanol usage is one of the most effective programs now in place to reduce CO2 emissions from the transportation system, making the air we breathe cleaner.
  Source: Better Environmental Solutions