Study Findings:

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that nitrogen loading from the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico would increase by 10 to 19 percent. As a result, nitrogen levels would rise to twice their recommended levels, leading to an expansion of the Gulf's dead zone, a region of oxygen-starved waters that is unable to support aquatic life. (Simon Donner of the University of British Columbia and Chris Kucharik of the University of Wisconsin-Madison authored the report)

A study authored by Princeton researcher Timothy Searchinger and published in Science found that “corn-based ethanol…nearly doubles greenhouse emissions over 30 years and increases greenhouse gases for 167 years.” (“Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land-Use Change” Timothy Searchinger, et al, Science, February 7, 2008)

“Out on the farm, the ducks and pheasants are losing ground. Thousands of farmers are taking their fields out of the government’s biggest conservation program…for a chance to cash in on the boom in wheat, soybeans, corn and other crops…The net loss is still more than two million acres.” (New York Times, April 9, 2008)

Quotes:

"Now we know that biofuels, intended to promote energy independence and combat climate change, are frequently energy inefficient. We need to look closely at the impact on food prices and the environment of different production methods and to ensure we are more selective in our support.” - UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown

“The biofuel boom is doing exactly the opposite of what its proponents intended: it's dramatically accelerating global warming, imperiling the planet in the name of saving it. Corn ethanol, always environmentally suspect, turns out to be environmentally disastrous.” - Michael Grunwald, Time Magazine, March 27, 2008

"The simplest explanation is that when we divert our corn or soybeans to fuel, if people around the world are going to continue to eat the same amount that they're already eating, you have to replace that food somewhere else. That's done in a significant part by burning down forests, plowing up grasslands. That releases a great deal of carbon dioxide." - Timothy Searchinger, Princeton researcher (NPR, February 7, 2008)