The Obama administration is walking a tightrope to support the ethanol industry, rolling out more government loans for the battered industry but also delicately acknowledging environmental costs of the corn-based fuel.
Obama has historically supported ethanol, even as evidence has mounted that it’s a less than ideal fuel. The EPA seemed to acknowledge that this week, arguing in one scenario that ethanol creates 16% less greenhouse gases than gasoline. But in another scenario that it examined, corn ethanol accounted for 5 percent more greenhouse gases.
Perhaps such a tightrope-walking maneuver isn’t unusual, especially in the agriculture sector. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has planted an organic garden outside his headquarters in Washington D.C. but has also been a strong supporter of corn ethanol and pledged to promote overseas acceptance of genetically engineered crops.
So is this placating critics, mending coalitions, hedging bets, or all of the above?