Report: Ethanol strains aquifer, grasslands

The Ogallala Aquifer, which contributes to water supplies in eight states including South Dakota, would be further strained if current trends in ethanol production persist, according to a report released Thursday by an environmental advocacy group.

“State agencies that are proposing ethanol plants need to be concerned about water withdrawal,” said Timothy D. Male, senior scientist for Environmental Defense. “The direction we’re taking is that not all biofuels are created equal, and we need to come up with standards through which we can evaluate all the fuels.”
State leaders and trade groups, however, defended ethanol as an important component of the rural economy and criticized some of the report’s findings.

“I think they’re hitting the panic button a little prematurely,” said Matt Hartwig, spokesman for the Renewable Fuels Association, a trade group that promotes ethanol. “Our industry is very aware of natural resources, and we’re very cautious in how we use those resources.”

Hartwig said ethanol plants go through a lengthy approval process and have to meet standards that include ensuring adequate water supplies.

“We’re also working on technologies that will continue to improve ethanol production efficiencies, which include reducing water use,” he said.

Ethanol’s popularity as an alternative fuel has reached an all-time high. With about 119 plants nationwide and 86 more on the way, the country’s ethanol output was about 6 billion gallons last year, according to the RFA.

But according to the Environmental Defense report, President Bush’s goal of 35 billion gallons of ethanol by 2015 is “almost certain to result in a major increase in corn production.” That increase will strain the underground aquifer, as well as grasslands that would be turned into cropland to grow the corn used in most ethanol plants.

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