CLEANER ENERGY?

Corn Biofuel Worse Than Gas

According to a new study.

A study funded by the federal government found that biofuels made from the leftovers of harvested corn are actually worse for global warning than gasoline in the short term. Released Sunday in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Climate Change, the study claims that biofuels made from corn release 7 percent more greenhouse gases in early years than gasoline. The study does note that biofuels are better in the long run, but also claims they won’t meet a standard set in a 2007 law to qualify as renewable fuel. EPA spokeswoman Liz Purchia said the study “does not provide useful information relevant to the lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions from corn-stover ethanol.” However, the Associated Press noted that an investigation last year found that the EPA’s own analysis of corn-based ethanol “failed to predict the environmental consequences accurately.”