Biofuels Also Create Dangerous Spills

This fact sheet from Friends of the Earth argues that biofuels are not a clean alternative to oil, as they cause environmentally harmful spills, aquatic life die-offs, and air pollution, while lacking adequate government oversight and standardized cleanup procedures.

• Biofuel spills and fires typically result from accidents and leaks during transport via trains and trucks, or from the discharge of byproduct pollutants from production plants. These incidents are expected to increase due to growing production, a lack of government oversight, and producers' lack of awareness regarding pollution regulations.
• Biofuels, specifically ethanol, are highly toxic to water ecosystems and have caused significant aquatic deaths, including Iowa's largest fish-kill to date in 2009 and the total loss of an endangered mussel population in Missouri in 2008. Because some fuels like ethanol are water-soluble, removal from water is not an option, and general cleanup procedures for various biofuels are still being developed.
• Beyond spills, biofuel production and use contribute to air pollution, drinking water contamination via pesticide and fertilizer runoff, and may cause more global warming than conventional gasoline.

APA

McMahon, K. (2010). Biofuels Also Create Dangerous Spills. Friends of the Earth. https://foe.org/blog/2010-05-biofuels-also-create-dangerous-spills/

Chicago

McMahon, Kate. Biofuels Also Create Dangerous Spills. Friends of the Earth, 2010. https://foe.org/blog/2010-05-biofuels-also-create-dangerous-spills/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=McMahon |first1=Kate |title=Biofuels Also Create Dangerous Spills |publisher=Friends of the Earth |date=6 May 2010 |url=https://foe.org/blog/2010-05-biofuels-also-create-dangerous-spills/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mcmahon2010biofuels, author = {McMahon, Kate}, title = {{Biofuels Also Create Dangerous Spills}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth}, year = {2010}, month = may, url = {https://foe.org/blog/2010-05-biofuels-also-create-dangerous-spills/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }