Grainnet

Robert Kennedy Jr. Says Ethanol Should Be Made From Cellulose, Not Corn

by Myke Feinman, BioFuels Journal Editor

Robert Kennedy Jr., author and environmentalist, told reporters March 28 that ethanol should not be made out of the same crops used for food. He spoke at a press conference to Bloomington area television, radio and newspapers a few hours before a keynote address in Illinois State University’s series of Sesquicentennial Speaker Series, sponsored in part by the Illinois Corn Growers Association.

Americans should stop making ethanol from corn and use things like switch grass, he said.

When asked about a recent forecast by Kiplinger dated March 13 that predicts food prices would jump between 2 and 3 percent due to production of ethanol in the next year, he said the American economy has been based on a “cheap” food policy and that the ethanol demand will be increasing that food price.

“It’s a global issue,” Kennedy noted. “We should use a non-food-based product like switch grass that doesn’t compete with food.”

He said he believes 20 percent more of the corn crop is being used for ethanol in America this year.

He said corn production takes a lot of fuel to produce the crop, so corn-based ethanol is not reducing air pollution emissions.

“You’re really not saving that much,” Kennedy said. “Also, the growth of corn is so mechanized that in the end, it does not save that much in terms of C02 production.”

Other issues

Ethanol was not the only environmental issue he discussed at the press conference. He was asked about his views on wind power since he has been an opponent to wind turbines at Cape Cod. He said he was not opposed to wind power, just to that particular location.

“Those decisions have to be made by the local community,” Kennedy noted. “I’m an opponent to the wind farm in Cape Cod because it will put hundreds of small commercial fishermen out of business.”

He also said that the wind farm could be moved a slight distance for a modest increase in cost, but to a location that would not interfere with the fishing industry at Cape Cod.

“If they move the wind farm, it could be slightly more expensive for the partners,” Kennedy said. “It’s a bad site. It will put hundreds of small fishermen out of business. There are 5.5 million people that use that waterway every year.”