Más de 400 mil millones de dólares en subsidios para biocombustibles

PARA PUBLICACIÓN INMEDIATA CONTACTO: Nick Berning, 202-222-0748 Kate McMahon, 202-222-0715

Los biocombustibles recibirán más de 1400 mil millones de dólares en subsidios federales Un nuevo informe de Amigos de la Tierra documenta cómo la industria de los biocombustibles se beneficia a expensas de los contribuyentes y del medio ambiente.

WASHINGTON, D.C.Friends of the Earth released a report today that examines the extent to which the biofuels industry is subsidized by federal tax credits and a federal renewable fuels mandate. The report finds that between 2008 and 2022, biofuels will receive more than $400 billion in subsidies. The report also shows that, rather than promoting the production of less harmful biofuels, many of these subsidies are supporting the most environmentally damaging ones, such as corn ethanol. The size of these subsidies is extraordinary, particularly given how poorly we screen the environmental impacts produced by their recipients. The subsidies are accelerating environmental damage, said Doug Koplow of Earth Track, who authored the report. There are far better ways to spend this money. What weve found is that not only is the biofuels industry harming the environment, but that the government is paying it to do so, said Kate McMahon, biofuels campaigner at Friends of the Earth. President Obama released a $3.5 trillion budget proposal today. If hes looking for a place to make some cuts, these giveaways to the biofuels industry would be a great place to start. The report can be viewed at /sites/default/files/FOE%20VEETC%20Evaluation%20FINAL.pdf. A one-page document summarizing the reports findings can be found at: /sites/default/files/VEETC%201%20pager%20FINAL.pdf. More information about Friends of the Earths work to roll back environmentally harmful biofuels subsidies can be found at /biofuelssubsidies. ### Amigos de la Tierra (www.foe.org) es la voz estadounidense de la red ambientalista de base más grande del mundo, con grupos miembros en 77 países. Desde 1969, Amigos de la Tierra ha liderado iniciativas destacadas para crear un mundo más sano y justo.