News: Media Center

WASHINGTON (October 10, 2007) – The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released a report today that examines water implications of biofuels production in the United States.

 

Following is a statement by Jonathan Kaplan, director of the Sustainable Agriculture Project for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): 

 

“The NAS report makes it clear that unless Congress acts decisively through the Farm Bill and comprehensive energy bill, increased biofuels production will increase water pollution from agriculture and intensify many regional and local water shortages. The report also details many agricultural practices, technologies, and other biomass crops that could help reduce total water use and pollution while we increase the production of biofuels. But to deliver on the promise of biofuels, Congress must dramatically increase funding for Farm Bill conservation programs and reform them to get more conservation per dollar. We also need to shift our biofuels policies to improve environmental and energy security performance rather than simply increasing the volume of production.”

 

The NAS report, “Water Implications of Biofuels Production in the United States,” can be found at http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12039&page=R1. The NAS is expected to issue a second water quality report this month that will evaluate the implementation of the Clean Water Act on the Mississippi River.

 

For more comments on the NAS biofuels report, please visit http://switchboard.nrdc.org/.