Mexico wants to limit corn ethanol with "Food comes first" law
One more position in the food vs. biofuel debate, this one clearly slated towards food. México is about to pass an amendment to the "Ley de Bioenergéticos" (Bioenergy sources law) that clearly states that "Corn will only be used for making ethanol as long as there is a national production surplus." The amendment, however, opens a door for other sources and states no limits for other sources, such as waste from any type of food production. México depends on corn imports to satisfy its internal demand for the cereal, which is considered the keystone of this country's nutrition. Although there are voices that claim that biofuels aren't so guilty, the Mexican government is convinced that there is indeed a direct relationship.
The Congreso de los Diputados (Chamber of Representatives) is expected to pass this amendment next week.
Related:
[Source: Agroinformación (link is in Spanish)]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 11:03AM (10/25/2007)
UN Calls for Five Year Biofuel Moratorium http://puregreencars.com/news/Green-Culture/UN-Calls-for-Five-Year-Biofuel-Moratorium.html
Act in haste, repent in leisure.
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Ryan 11:20AM (10/25/2007)
To which Vinod Khosla calls BS:
http://www.energyfuturecoalition.org/preview.cfm?catID=103
Read the "Food versus Fuel" PDF.
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Karkus 12:37PM (10/25/2007)
Sure there's a debate about whether corn ethanol is driving up food prices, but regardless of that, the overall CO2 savings for corn ethanol are minimal at best, so this bill seems like a good thing (even if it has little real impact). Perhaps it can help drive the industry towards cellulosic, algae, etc. ethanol.
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