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Researchers: Biofuels mandate may cause more harm than good with plowed-up land

Hundreds of thousands of acres of grasslands and wild habitat in the Upper Midwest have been plowed up to plant corn and soybeans in the past decade because of demand created by the government's ethanol mandate, according to a trio of academic researchers who argue that federal biofuels policy is causing more environmental harm than good.

Their study, released Thursday, found that the shift has destroyed crucial habitat for monarch butterflies and increased the use of chemical fertilizers, while causing the release of millions of tons of carbon dioxide - equal to putting about 5 million more cars on the road each year.

http://www.startribune.com/biofuels-mandate-may-cause-more-harm-than-good/506850232/

 

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