Ethanol Production Fertilizes Dead Zone

As the ethanol business booms and the Midwest’s cornfields grow, fertilizer runoff continues to seep into the Gulf Coast. The National Research Council predicts continued fertilization will rapidly increase the Gulf’s already large "dead zone," reported the Times-Picayune.

"Dead zones" form when fertilizer nutrients combine with sunlight to fuel explosive oxygen-hungry algae blooms. Yesterday, The National Research Council released a report stating corn requires far more fertilizers and pesticides than other biofuel crops. Furthermore, the clearing of land for corn development can decrease soil’s natural chemical-filtration.

The ethanol boom, driven by government subsidies -- Bush plans to produce 35 billion gallons of ethanol by 2017 -- will increase nearly sixfold in the next ten years. Not only will chemical fertilizer companies grow rich, but so too will coastal waterways, with oxygen-hungry algae.

For more on U.S. Coastal Dead Zones click here.

COMMENTS ()