The impact of ethanol use on food prices and greenhouse-gas emissions.

Format:

Book

Government document

Contributor:

United States. Congressional Budget Office

Series:

CBO papers

A CBO paper

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ethanol as fuel--Economic aspects--United States.

Ethanol as fuel.

Biomass energy--Economic aspects--United States.

Biomass energy.

Energy crops--Economic aspects--United States.

Energy crops.

Agriculture and energy--United States.

Agriculture and energy.

Corn--Economic aspects--United States.

Corn.

Biomass energy--Economic aspects.

Corn--Economic aspects.

Energy crops--Economic aspects.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (vii, 16 pages) : illustrations (some color)

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : U.S. Congressional Budget Office, [2009]

Summary:

The use of ethanol in gasoline has increased substantially over the past decade. Currently, most ethanol in the United States is produced from domestically grown corn, and the rapid rise in the fuel's production and usage means that roughly one-quarter of all corn grown in the United States is now used to produce ethanol. Since 2006, food prices have also risen more quickly than in earlier years, affecting federal spending for nutrition programs (such as school lunches) and the household budgets of individual consumers. The increased use of ethanol accounted for about 10 percent to 15 percent of the rise in food prices between April 2007 and April 2008, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates. In turn, that increase will boost federal spending for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp program) and child nutrition programs by an estimated $600 million to $900 million in fiscal year 2009. Last year, the use of ethanol reduced gasoline consumption in the United States by about 4 percent and greenhouse-gas emissions from the transportation sector by less than 1 percent.

Contents:

Ethanol production in the United States

The production subsidy

Import tariffs

Federal mandates

Ethanol production and consumption under subsidies, tariffs, and mandates

Ethanol production and food prices

The increases price of corn

The impact of higher corn prices on the cost of food

Ethanol, food prices, and federal food assistance

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance and the Federal Child Nutrition Programs

The Special Supplemental Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children

Ethanol production and greenhouse-gas emissions

Greenhouse-gas emissions during a fuel's life cycle

Changes in land use.

Notes:

Title from PDF title screen (viewed August 19, 2009).

"April 2009."

Includes bibliographical references.

OCLC:

318105376