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Dozens of CA events this weekend honor Latino Conservation Week; Kamala Harris joins Oprah Winfrey in emotional campaign event; Report finds poor working conditions in Texas clean energy industry; AI puts on a lab coat, heads to technical schools.

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Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

EPA Ethanol Report: A "Red Flag" for the Environment

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Monday, August 6, 2018   

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The U.S. government has acknowledged that the Renewable Fuel Standard is harming the environment. The latest Environmental Protection Agency report recognized for the first time that federal mandates for fuels based on corn and soybeans have had consequences for wildlife habitat and water resources.

The standard was put in place in 2007 to reduce the nation's dependence on fossil fuels. But David DeGennaro, agriculture policy specialist with the National Wildlife Federation, explained the standard has resulted in air and water pollution, soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, and greater food insecurity.

"In finding that the Renewable Fuel Standard is having negative consequences to a whole suite of environmental indicators, the report is a red flag - warning us that we need to reconsider the mandate's scope and its focus on first-generation fuels made from food crops,” DeGennaro said.

Right now, most gas is E-10, meaning it contains 10 percent ethanol. But President Donald Trump and senators from some agricultural states are urging the EPA to increase the mandated ethanol content of gasoline.

The EPA report indicates that biofuels have a negative effect on air quality. Johnathan Lewis, senior counsel for climate policy at the Clean Air Task Force, said ethanol from corn in particular is linked to increased emissions of nitrogen oxides, or NOX.

"NOX contributes to ozone formation when it mixes with volatile organic compounds in the presence of sunlight,” Lewis explained. “So in most areas of the country, an increase in NOX emissions can result in increased ozone formation."

Ground-level ozone, the main ingredient in smog, is a major cause of asthma and other respiratory illness.

Despite the EPA's findings, DeGenarro pointed out there is political pressure to raise the biofuels mandate in the Renewable Fuel Standard above the "E-10" level.

"Just last week President Trump told an audience in Iowa that he was 'very close' to having EPA issue a waiver to the Clean Air Act to allow year-round sale of E-15,” DeGenarro said.

In March, a bill known as the GREENER Fuels Act was introduced in Congress to reduce the use of corn ethanol and cap the ethanol content in gasoline at less than 10 percent.


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