Issue Areas

Environmental Issues > Global Warming Main Page > All Global Warming Documents

Let the VEETC Expire: Moving Beyond Corn Ethanol Means Less Waste, Less Pollution and More Jobs

Transitioning to low-carbon fuels is crucial to breaking America's dependence on oil and curbing global warming. But while some biofuels reduce pollution, others pollute more than the oil they replace. Unfortunately, the biggest government incentive program for biofuels -- the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) -- fails to differentiate between biofuels, and has wasted $20 billion taxpayer dollars subsidizing a polluting corn ethanol industry. By subsidizing any type of ethanol, the VEETC comes at the expense of supporting clean energy technologies like wind, solar, and advanced biofuels -- made from sustainable crops like willow -- that create more green jobs and far less pollution. Congress is considering a 5-year extension of the VEETC that would cost taxpayers $31 billion. NRDC urges Congress to let the VEETC expire and replace it with a smarter, cheaper, and greener biofuels tax credit that rewards real environmental performance.

last revised 8/25/2010

Get document in pdf

Popular Tags [ View All Tags ]:: causes; consequences; solutions; what you can do; wildlife; energy efficiency; renewable energy; global warming and health; global warming legislation

All Tags [ View Popular Tags ]:: AB 1493; AB 32; ACES; agriculture; air pollution; Alaska; algae; Arctic; Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; asthma; automakers; biodiesel; biofuels; cabon; California; cap 2.0; cap and trade; carbon; carbon assessment; carbon capture and storage; carbon dioxide; carbon emissions; carbon offsets; caribou; cars; causes of global warming; CCS; china; Clean air; Clean Air Act; clean energy; clean energy economy; climate; climate change; climate disruption; climate disruption tax; climate legislation; Climate Security Act; coal; coal plants; coal-fired power plants; consequences; coral; dirty fuels; drilling; drought; earth day; economy; Elizabeth Kolbert; emissions; endangered species; endangered species protection; energy; energy efficiency; energy policy; energy security; environmental protection agency; EPA; extreme weather; farming; fish & fishing; flooding; floods; florida; food; Forests; fuel; fuel efficiency standards; fuel savings; Gary Braasch; gas prices; global warming and health; global warming and the economy; global warming emissions; global warming emissions copenhagen accord; global warming legislation; global warming treaties; Great Lakes; Great Lakes National Parks; green buildings; green jobs; green sports; greenhouse gas; greenhouse gas emissions; greenhouse gas regulations; greenhouse gases; grizzly bear; growing green awards; habitat loss; Harmful Algal Blooms; health; health effects; health effects of pollution; heat; heat wave; heat waves; holiday; hurricane; hurricane Irene; Hurricane Katrina; Hurricane Sandy; hurricanes; hybrid; hybrid vehicles; India; India Initiative; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; International; international agreements; interviews; IPCC; Kyoto protocol; legislation; liquid coal; livestock; marine conservation; Massachussetts v EPA; mccain leiberman; mccain-leiberman bill; McKinsey; melting ice and glaciers; Montreal Protocol; mortality; mountain pine beetle; mountaintop removal mining; national parks; natural gas; new energy economy; nuclear energy; ocean acidification; ocean policy; ocean pollution; oil; oil shale; oil shale development; oil shale development in colorado river basin; oil shale impact on water; ozone; photos; polar bears; polar ice cap; policy; pollution; power plants; public transportation; record-high temperatures; refrigerants; renewable energy; renewable energy/clean energy; renewables; respiratory illness; Rocky Mountains; salmon; sb375; science; sea levels; sea-level rise; ski; smart growth; smog air pollution; solar power; solutions; species protection; sprawl; storms; Supreme Court; sustainable communities; tar sands; tennessee; testimony; tourism; toxic waste; transportation; transportation bill; trout; U.S.; VEETC; vehicle emissions; vehicles; water; water supply; water sustainability; weather; Western Arctic; what you can do; white bark pine; whitebark pine; Wilderness Preservation; wildfires; wildlife; winter sports; Yellowstone

Sign up for NRDC's online newsletter

See the latest issue >

This Is Global Warming

Watch the Video »

Our new video shows the effects of global warming in the world today.

Give the Gift That Will Make a Difference: Clean Energy Boost

NRDC Gets Top Ratings from the Charity Watchdogs

: Charity Navigator awards NRDC its 4-star top rating.
: Worth magazine named NRDC one of America's 100 best charities.
: NRDC meets the highest standards of the Wise Giving Alliance of the Better Business Bureau.

Donate now >

Switchboard Blogs

Two Top-Level "Post-2015" Reports to the UN Call for "Transformations" to Curb Climate Change and Secure a Sustainable Future.: posted by Jacob Scherr, 6/17/13
Global Green and Ikea Are Bringing Emergency Solar to Sandy-Struck Neighborhoods. Let's Hope Energy Planners Follow Their Lead.: posted by Kit Kennedy, 6/14/13
Department of Interior's own Watchdog in New Report Says Program to Sell Taxpayer-Owned Coal Deeply Flawed: posted by Theo Spencer, 6/11/13

Issue Areas

Let the VEETC Expire: Moving Beyond Corn Ethanol Means Less Waste, Less Pollution and More Jobs

Sign up for NRDC's online newsletter

This Is Global Warming

NRDC Gets Top Ratings from the Charity Watchdogs

Switchboard Blogs

Tell your friends you're making a difference:

Take Action Now

Issue Areas

Let the VEETC Expire: Moving Beyond Corn Ethanol Means Less Waste, Less Pollution and More Jobs

Sign up for NRDC's online newsletter

This Is Global Warming

NRDC Gets Top Ratings from the Charity Watchdogs

Switchboard Blogs

Popular Issues

Tell your friends you're making a difference:

Take Action Now