‘Green’ renewable fuel plants are releasing MORE pollution than oil refineries
By Paul Homewood
h/t Patsy Lacey
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So-called ‘green’ fuel refineries have used loopholes in federal regulation to become massive polluters, according to a new report.
The 275 Biofuel and ethanol manufacturers in the US released 12 million tons of toxic materials into the air in 2022 compared to 15 million emitted by oil refineries, the report detailed.
Further, these plants released more of four kinds of toxic chemicals that can cause vomiting, diarrhea and shortness of breath in the short term, and have been linked to cancer in the long term.
Their report reviewed 2022 data that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released from 191 ethanol plants, 71 biodiesel plants and 13 renewable diesel plants.
Not only were the ‘green’ manufacturers emissions nearly on par with oil and gas, they also released more of particularly potent toxins than the petroleum manufacturers – including hexane, acetaldehyde, acrolein and formaldehyde than traditional oil and gas refineries.
Formaldehyde fumes can cause cancer, and acetaldehyde is a suggested carcinogen as well. When hexane gas is inhaled, it causes dizziness, nausea and headaches, according to the EIP.
Acrolein, which is also found in cigarettes and build materials, can cause vomiting and shortness of breath and has been linked to asthma.
On top of that, the process of cultivating the raw materials and transforming them into biofuels isn’t better for the environment than traditional oil and gas, the report found.
The biofuel plants in the US emitted 33 million tons of greenhouse gasses in 2022. That’s equivalent to the amount of greenhouse gases coming from 27.5 oil refineries.
Even as reports of this sort are increasing, the ‘green fuel’ industry is booming.
This is thanks in part to increased funding from the Biden administration, which has allocated billions in funds for developing a green aviation fuel, Inside Climate News reported.
It’s difficult to total how much money the administration has funneled towards this industry through the different agencies of the executive branch.
But just the most recent announcement from President Biden included $238 million for expanding biofuel production.
Ever since 2005, the US government has mandated that petroleum manufacturers blend their product with biofuels like ethanol.
This has likely played a role in the rapid expansion of these manufacturers- where the number of plants has increased eight times over since 2000.
Ethanol is a type of fuel that’s made from corn. Roughly 40 percent of all the corn grown in America goes towards making the fuel.
In response, corn production has expanded too – adding roughly 7 million acres of new corn farms each year after the new federal regulations.
These plants are primarily located in rural areas, near the farms that supply the raw materials for their fuel – in states like Illinois and Iowa.
This has caused the tilling of land that would’ve been conserved for its natural plant and animal life, Reuters reported.
One of these biofuel plants, Archer Daniels Midland, located in Illinois, was found to be the biggest source of hexane in the country, a toxin that can cause nerve damage.
This has caused nearby residents to develop dizziness and nausea, Robert Hirschfeld, Director of Water Policy at the Prairie Rivers Network, said.
On top of the problems that the manufacturing itself has caused, the report writes, the increased demand for corn has made farmers clear and allocate more farmland for the crop.
This has contributed to deforestation and habitat loss that worsens global warming and potentially endangers animal species, according to research from University of Minnesota.
NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
Governments never understand the Law of Unintended Consequences. Everything they do makes things worse – just look at Drax power station for a UK example. Almost every use of land to grow crops for fuel ends up being very bad for the environment and the public.
Yes, Drax is emitting far more CO2 now that if was a modern gas or even coal plant, but it doesn’t count – nor does transporting it around the world as it is not in the UK – as it is ‘green’. Yes, the fuel (trees) will regrow, but that will take many years and we are supposedly in a ‘climate emergency’ and need to reduce CO2 right now. Even if you believe the hype, it still doesn’t make sense.
That’s because most politicians are lawyers, career PPE grads, or ex bankers – energy is nowhere near their competence and it shows – DESNZ, apart from being an oxymoron, should be run by Engineers and right wing economists
Why feed yeast when you can feed people with the same land use? The amount of carbon dioxide released is the same either way.
This has been known for some time .https://theconversation.com/biofuels-turn-out-to-be-a-climate-mistake-heres-why-64463
But the MSM have not got around to saying anything about till now .
Perhaps the whole truth about the NZ / Climate Change fraud might start to come out .
But dont hold your breath .
Don’t forget that the glorious “Arab Spring” that has brought peace, prosperity, friendship and wisdom across North Africa and the Middle East, was driven in part by protests against rocketing grain prices as more and more Western crop surpluses were turned into ICE engine fuel additives.
And Libya is so much better for Call Me Dave’s intervention….
‘Call me Dave’ is an idiot of course but it wasn’t solely his intervention. Also have Libyans no agency? Do they bear no guilt for the open air slave markets?
Unless I miss read it in haste, this report lacks the most crucial piece of information -which is how much fuel was produced in each case, I suspect that there was a lot more oil refined than they was bio fuel for roughly the same pollution levels?
Brian, you are absolutely right, they are creating all this pollution for just a 10% additive to Petrol. 1 part ethonol to 9 parts petrol.
Of course not only that but Oil refineries also produce diesel, oil, and dozens of other actually useful products for fertilisers, medicine and industry etc.
Can anyone think of a green iniative that is actually greener than not doing it?
I just stole this, its so neat. It’s on X under @catandman
Just as plastics recycling plants are the greatest source of micro plastics (very likely another bogus scare).
Everything celebrated as green, is either crap, wasteful, or unsustainable – greenfoolery has become a multi billion dollar pantomime, rinsing the masses, making the globalists ever richer, with ever more control
Facts have no place in a religion. Facts are an anathema to them.
Say Green and idiots open doors for you. Green is a religion. klymutt sheyngshe is a religion. Thaving the Pwannet is a religion. Cutting down tweez is nice because their weeenewabuwls religion says so. It matters not one jot to them that more CO2 is released (a good thing) when burning wood as compared to coal to obtain the same calorific value.