Corn Ethanol: The Next New Coke?

The policy brief contends that corn ethanol's success in the United States is the result of federal subsidies and mandates, such as the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), rather than inherent value. It highlights that corn ethanol fails to provide energy independence, does not significantly lower gas prices, and has negative environmental impacts, including higher lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline.

• The growth of corn ethanol in the United States has been driven by federal interventions, specifically the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which mandated an increase in biofuel use from four billion gallons in 2006 to 36 billion gallons by 2022, and the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC), which provided tax breaks to companies adding ethanol to gasoline.
• The biofuels industry is seeking government funding to build ethanol-specific infrastructure, specifically blender pumps at gas stations. The Department of Agriculture began allowing the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) funds to cover these costs in late 2011, and a Senate Agriculture Committee Farm Bill in April included $241 million for REAP.
• Corn ethanol is environmentally detrimental; the U.S. EPA's 2011 Triennial Report indicates negative effects on soil conservation, habitat preservation, and air and water quality. Furthermore, corn ethanol sold in 2012 emits more lifecycle greenhouse gases than gasoline, and Clean Air Task Force analysis suggests this will continue until 2054.
• Corn ethanol does not achieve energy independence or significantly lower fuel costs. Even if all U.S. corn grown in 2011 were used for ethanol, it would only offset 18 percent of national gasoline consumption. Additionally, because ethanol provides only two-thirds the energy of gasoline, any claimed price reductions are negligible or nonexistent.

APA

Schneider, C., & Lewis, J. (2012). Corn Ethanol: The Next New Coke? Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2012/05/corn-ethanol-the-next-new-coke/

Chicago

Schneider, Conrad, and Jonathan Lewis. Corn Ethanol: The Next New Coke? Clean Air Task Force, 2012. https://www.catf.us/2012/05/corn-ethanol-the-next-new-coke/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Schneider |first1=Conrad |last2=Lewis |first2=Jonathan |title=Corn Ethanol: The Next New Coke? |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=7 May 2012 |url=https://www.catf.us/2012/05/corn-ethanol-the-next-new-coke/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{schneider2012corn, author = {Schneider, Conrad and Lewis, Jonathan}, title = {{Corn Ethanol: The Next New Coke?}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2012}, month = may, url = {https://www.catf.us/2012/05/corn-ethanol-the-next-new-coke/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }