This web page was last modified June 27, 2012 at 4:46 PM.
Although the raw materials utilized in an ethanol plant can come mainly (but not exclusively) from agricultural sources, ethanol production is an industrial process. Like all industrial processes, emissions are a fact of life around an ethanol facility. In addition to emissions, the noise levels, increased traffic, effects on watersheds, glare from lighting, effects on wildlife and so on, all have their impact on the surrounding community.
April 20th, 2006 –
ATTORNEY GENERAL PEG LAUTENSCHLAGER ANNOUNCES STATES SUE
EPA
FOR VIOLATING CLEAN AIR ACT AND REFUSAL TO TAKE ACTION ON GLOBAL WARMING
– Wisconsin Department of Justice press release
–
The Clean Air Act requires that the
EPA
review and revise emission standards applicable to new pollution sources every eight years to ensure that they protect public health and the environment. On February 27, 2006,
EPA
issued revised regulations in accordance with a court order. However, the revised standards completely fail to regulate power plant emissions of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming. In addition, the revised standards for other air pollutants that are harmful to public health are unacceptably lax.
May 3rd, 2006 – Group of the usual Congressional corn ethanol boosters sign a letter in support of a proposal by Bush appointees in the EPA to, in effect, reclassify fuel ethanol plants from "chemical process plants" into a category more akin to "beverage alcohol plant". This would raise the current limits of 100 tons per year each of various regulated emissions to 250 tons per year.
February 28th, 2006 – Fact Sheet — Proposed Changes to Treatment of Corn Milling Facilities Under Clean Air Act Permitting Programs – EPA fact sheet
EPA ’s air permitting programs rely upon emissions thresholds to determine when program requirements would apply. If a facility emits target air pollutants in amounts greater than the threshold, requirements to obtain permits that outline emissions controls would apply. This proposed definition change would establish the same emissions thresholds for all wet and dry corn milling facilities regardless of whether the ethanol end product is used for fuel or human consumption — 250 tons per year for the PSD permitting program. The thresholds for NSR and Title V programs would remain at current levels..
March 23, 2006 –
Carbon Cloud Over A Green Fuel
by Mark Clayton – Christian Science Monitor
–
An Iowa corn refinery, open since December, uses 300 tons of coal a day to make ethanol.
The Bucket Brigade assists citizens to monitor air quality in their own communities by providing access to low-cost sampling devices and testing capabilities.
Infants and children age 14 and younger may be especially susceptible to the health effects of ozone and particle pollution, because their lungs are still developing. Children have greater exposure to air pollution because of their faster breathing rates and the amount of time they spend playing outdoors.[i] Ozone and particle air pollution can aggravate asthma, wheezing, coughing and may reduce lung function in children. Over the long term, some studies have indicated that pollution may stunt lung function growth.[ii](Includes tips to help parents limit a child’s exposure to harmful pollutants.)
LONDON (Reuters) - Asthmatic children exposed to traffic pollution before getting a viral infection have more serious asthma attacks, doctors said on Friday. In children, about 80 percent of attacks are due to viruses -- most of them from the common cold virus.
…Recent epidemiological literature on PM10 suggests the potential for health effects in infants and children, including mortality, reduced birth weight, premature birth, asthma exacerbation, and acute respiratory infections. Epidemiological studies suggest that increased mortality and hospital admissions among the elderly and those with chronic heart and lung diseases may also be associated with exposure to PM10 .
… EPA estimated that the probability that children with asthma will have an attack is 40% higher on high outdoor pollution days.
Fine particle pollution is especially harmful to people with lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, because particles can aggravate these diseases. ix Exposure to fine particle air pollution can trigger asthma flare-ups and cause wheezing, coughing, and respiratory irritation in individuals with sensitive airways. x People with heart disease such as coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure and people with diabetes are at risk of serious cardiac effects. xi
The new studies validate the earlier research and address the most important arguments raised by industry critics. Taken together, the studies confirm the relationship between particulate air pollution, illness, hospitalization, and premature death.
On December 24, 2002, the American Lung Association and 8 other environmental groups alerted the Environmental Protection Agency of our intent to file a new lawsuit against them for failure to comply with the Clean Air Act.
The two principal types of oxygen additives used in reformulated gasolines in the United States contribute little to reducing ozone pollution, says a new report by a committee of the National Research Council.
The ALA and many environmental organizations supported a 2 percent oxygen requirement for RFG in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 based on the assumption at the time such requirement would guarantee reductions of VOC s, and tonics. We now know we were wrong.
The American Lung Association firmly believes that mandating ethanol in summertime gasoline will contribute to increases in smog regardless of whether the fuel is RFG or conventional gasoline.
It will biodegrade in soil, probably to acetic acid and formaldehyde.
…some groups are upset that the EPA is asking and not telling the manufacturers to clean up their act. Brian Urbaseski is a spokesperson with the American Lung Association Chicago chapter. He says the EPA needs to take a stronger stand with the ethanol industry.
…We will need to avoid, as much as possible, decisions whose consequences foreclose future options. We will need to invent new decision-making processes that ensure fair, informed, and open public participation.