Perhaps more importantly, RFS has not reduced carbon emissions—one of the primary objectives of the policy. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin found that the corn boom has released as much carbon dioxide as 34 coal power plants in one year. It turns out ethanol is not carbon-neutral, as promised, and it actually worsens gas mileage, making cars less fuel-efficient and worse for the environment.
That is only the end. Let’s look and the beginning and the middle.
Corn has to be grown. That means tractors pulling plows and planters. Tractors burn fuel that expels CO2
Corn has to be harvested. That means more tractors, harvesters and trucks that burn fuel that expel CO2. The corn then has to be shipped to market and the processor. More trucks that burn fuel that expel CO2.
Then you have to grind the corn in to mash and ferment it to make ethanol. More machines that use electricity that may come from (God forbid) COAL. More CO2.
You have to distil ethanol which means running a boiler. Running a boiler means burning fuel. More CO2.
Then it is very expensive to transport ethanol because it is corrosive and can not be sent in the same pipelines as petroleum. It has to be trucked to the blending refineries in stainless steel tanker truck. That means burning diesel fuel in a truck. More CO2.
In the end it puts a lot more CO2 in the atmosphere to manufacture and use ethanol than it does to just use good old gasoline.