Study Says Ethanol Less Green Than Gasoline

A new study says that ethanol may do more harm than good. On “Morning Call,” the study’s author, Mark Jacobson, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, joined Brooke Coleman, director of the Renewable Energy Action Project, to debate whether ethanol could be more harmful to your health and to the planet than gasoline.

Jacobson’s study, based on computer models of pollution and airflow, found that ethanol would cause an increase in ozone levels, particularly in Los Angeles and in the Northeast, which would increase deaths from respiratory illnesses. “Ethanol is not green in terms of air pollution,” Jacobson told CNBC’s Melissa Lee.

Coleman argued that the study was an opportunistic slam on ethanol. “The study was based on a limited and simplistic analysis,” said Coleman, who believes that ethanol is the most easily accessible and effective solution. “Ethanol creates jobs in the energy sector and reduces oil dependence,” said Coleman.