Save the Rainforest: Say No to Deforestation for Biofuels

I am writing to ask you to lower mandated production levels for soy and palm biodiesel and corn ethanol under the Renewable Fuel Standard. Increasing agricultural production for soy and palm biodiesel drives the deforestation of sensitive and valuable forest ecosystems around the world, and corn ethanol threatens native landscapes in the U.S.

Forests in Brazil, Bolivia, Indonesia and throughout Latin America and Southeast Asia are known for their beautiful, ecologically important habitats. These places are home to many threatened and endangered species, including the tree kangaroo, orangutan, jaguar and giant anteater.

Furthermore, by taking up and storing carbon dioxide, these forests provide an important bulwark against climate change.

Unfortunately, to meet growing demand for soy and palm oils, agri-businesses continue to carve out new farms from virgin forest. In the Brazilian Amazon, areas planted with soy have more than tripled in the last 10 years to approximately 3.6 million hectares.[1] Bolivia expects to clear 14 million additional acres for farmland by 2025.[2] In Indonesia, a single company, Korindo, has a target of deforesting 200,000 hectares for oil palm plantations by 2020.[3]

When forest clearance is fully considered, biodiesel has no carbon reduction benefits. In fact, a recent analysis based on European Union research found that biodiesel made from soy and palm oil have significantly higher climate emissions than fossil diesel.[4]

Growing corn for ethanol has similar problems, and its effects are seen here in the U.S. The dramatic increase in corn production and has contributed to more the conversion of more than 7 million acres of native ecosystems into agricultural land since 2007.[5]

Promoting soy and palm biodiesel and corn ethanol threatens critical habitats at and abroad and makes it harder to deliver on our climate benchmarks. Because of this, I encourage your agency to lower biodiesel and corn ethanol production.