Urban Air Initiative: the real economic harm in the biofuels debate is gasoline
In Washington, officials at the Urban Air Initiative (UAI) called the recent effort by the American Petroleum Institute to discredit ethanol “a smokescreen to hide the fact that the toxic components in gasoline are endangering the lives of millions of people”.
UAI President David VanderGriend described a new API study “and press blitz by the petroleum industry” as “shameful”. VanderGriend contended that the purpose of the study was “blocking competition in the fuel market and making toxic and dangerous fuels.
In a call with reporters last week, API cited a study they commissioned as evidence of “severe economic harm” — a condition that can trigger a general waiver if the Renewable Fuel Standard by the Environmental Protection Agency.
In the call the API contended that “Lowering aromatic content (in transport fuels) would require further processing of crude oil. That would increase capital cost at refineries, thereby also increasing greenhouse gas emissions.”
“We have good news for our friends in the petroleum industry,” said VanderGriend. “Ethanol is a finished, refined product requiring less, not more oil, lowering aromatic content, and it will lower greenhouse gas emissions. So, problem solved.”
Category: Fuels
