As Corn Devours U.S. Prairies, Greens Reconsider Biofuel Mandate
- Groups now seek overhaul of U.S. renewable fuel quota
- Program blamed for boosting corn crops at prairie’s expense
This article is for subscribers only.
Environmentalists who once championed biofuels as a way to cut pollution are now turning against a U.S. program that puts renewable fuels in cars, citing higher-than-expected carbon dioxide emissions and reduced wildlife habitat.
More than a decade after conservationists helped persuade Congress to require adding corn-based ethanol and other biofuels to gasoline, some groups regret the resulting agricultural runoff in waterways and conversion of prairies to cropland -- improving the odds that lawmakers might seek changes to the program next year.