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Framing and reframing the environmental risks and economic benefits of ethanol production in Iowa

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Abstract

Recent research exposing environmental and social externalities of biofuels has undermined the earlier national consensus that they would provide climate mitigation and rural development benefits, but support for ethanol remains strong in Iowa. The objective of this paper is to understand how stakeholder groups in Iowa have framed the benefits and risks associated with ethanol’s impact on the local economy and environment. Our case study draws on in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with key informants from agricultural organizations, environmental organizations, and government departments in the state. We find that in Iowa, widespread support for ethanol production exists among government, energy, and farm groups, and that they frame ethanol production as economically beneficial to rural communities and agriculture, while minimizing the possibility of associated environmental risks. Although participants from environmental organizations in Iowa express apprehension about the environmental impacts of expanded corn ethanol production, their unease is muted in relation to economic benefits and in relation to other environmental issues, and few have publicly voiced their concerns. To understand these findings, we draw from the environmental sociology literature that examines the role of powerful natural resource interests in framing the importance of resource extraction and commodity production to community identity and economy and in delegitimizing and naturalizing associated environmental issues and problems. We argue that powerful natural resource interests in Iowa both naturalize environmental problems related to ethanol production and engage in diversionary reframing to emphasize the economic benefits while minimizing or rejecting the potential environmental risks.

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Notes

  1. Of particular significance was the 2005 Energy Policy Act that established the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The RFS created a guaranteed market for ethanol by mandating that refiners blend at least 4.7 billion gallons a year (bgy) of corn ethanol with petroleum. The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) expanded this by requiring that refiners blend 15 bgy of corn ethanol by 2015 and an additional 21 bgy of advanced biofuels (e.g., cellulosic) by 2022.

  2. These included the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Des Moines Register; the Office of Energy Independence, Department of Natural Resources, and Department of Economic Development in Iowa; and groups such as the Iowa Corn Growers Association, and the Iowa Environmental Council.

  3. Iowa State University economist Dave Swenson argues that the figures provided by the industry and cited by state agencies are an overreach. Swenson estimates that the corn ethanol industry accounts for approximately 6,000 jobs in the state, $1 billion in GDP, and $280 million in worker income. His estimates are considerably lower than the IRFA and he also acknowledges the lack of clarity and agreement in assessing ethanol’s impact. Swenson also warns that his figures do not include an analysis of the potential negative affect that increased corn prices has had on the livestock sector, a key industry in the state (Hart et al. 2012).

  4. These factors include high energy prices, growing international demand for grains and oilseeds, and reduced production in other grain producing countries due to drought (Lehrer 2010).

  5. According to Secchi et al. (2011b, p. 1078), since the 2008 Farm Bill the USDA has severely restricted “access to georeferenced data, including the location of CRP land,” which makes “determining the fate of CRP land” difficult.

  6. Several harsh winters and wet springs, which killed hens and washed away eggs, has also been a contributing factor (Love 2010).

  7. The IEC is an alliance of dozens of diverse organizations interested in conservation and the environment. The organization plays a leadership role in working to establish environmental policy.

  8. Keeney (2009) is the only link to a report on ethanol.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) under Grant No. DE-FG02-07ER64476. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the DOE. The authors would like to thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on earlier versions of this article. We would also like to thank Albert Jaray, Brandi Geisinger, and Michael Burdick for their research assistance. Finally, we would like to acknowledge our collaborators on this project: Richard Goe, Laszlo Kulcsar, and Gerad Middendorf.

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Table 1 Ethanol interest groups interviewed

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Bain, C., Selfa, T. Framing and reframing the environmental risks and economic benefits of ethanol production in Iowa. Agric Hum Values 30, 351–364 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-012-9401-y

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