Obama announces ethanol balancing act

Administration cites climate problems with corn-based ethanol

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration on Tuesday said its preliminary assessment of ethanol

Jackson said preliminary analysis shows corn ethanol emitting 16 percent less greenhouse gases than gasoline, even taking into account global future land-use changes.

But that is true in only one of the scenarios the EPA examined; another showed corn ethanol would account for 5 percent more greenhouse gases than gasoline. The scenario Jackson cited assumes future environmental benefits over a period of 100 years will more than pay back the initial increase in greenhouse gases from land use changes; the second assumes a shorter payback period of 30 years.

MSNBC