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They really are out to get us

Posted: May 19, 2008 at 10:53 AM CST

We are not paranoid. They really are out to get us.

Last week, we discovered that it’s not Big Oil (well, not only Big Oil) that’s plotting a clever public relations campaign against ethanol, but unconnected special interest groups like the U.S. Grocery Manufacturers Association and Worldwatch Institute.

A few days after Sen. Chuck Grassley, R- Iowa, exposed the GMA’s $300,000 ethanol smear campaign, the staff of Ethanol Producer Magazine received a copy of a mass e-mail sent out by the Worldwatch Institute soliciting donations to fund an anti-ethanol propaganda operation. You can find the complete Worldwatch e-mail at the bottom of today’s posting.

First, a quick recap on what shook out on the GMA: According to Grassley’s office, the GMA, which is the nation’s leading food marketing and production lobbying group, funded a public relations campaign to combat the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The campaign request stated: “GMA has concluded that rising food prices, global shortages of basic commodities, and new studies on the environmental impacts of corn ethanol create a window to change perceptions about the benefits of biofuels and the mandate and, ultimately, to build a groundswell in support of freezing or reversing some provisions of the 2007 Energy Bill … ”

The response to the GMA’s request by high-powered strategic communications firm, Glover Park Group, lays out a strategy to undermine the ethanol industry.

Here’s the whole story:
http://www.ethanolproducer.com/article.jsp?article_id=4182

The Grocery Manufacturer’s request for a proposal can be viewed in its entirety at http://grassley.senate.gov/public/releases/2008/05152008.pdf.

The Glover Park Group’s media campaign proposal can be viewed in its entirety at http://grassley.senate.gov/public/releases/2008/051520082.pdf.


A few days later, the Worldwatch Institute, an “independent research organization known around the world for its … fact-based analysis of critical global issues,” showed its hand in a May 16 mass e-mail. In the message, Worldwatch President Christopher Flavin asks for money to fund "a report on U.S. biofuels that will bring this critical message to top government officials, agricultural leaders, and the investment community."

Worldwatch’s critical "message" has already been decided: They want corn ethanol to die.

Worldwatch claims to be independent and objective research organization — “the gold-standard for sustainability analysis” — but do real researchers flaunt the outcome of studies before they are conducted? Flavin’s e-mail solicitation puts the group’s credibility in question. Worldwatch, like so many other groups, has made up its mind before independently researching the issues. It is precisely these types of actions that allow too many environmental watchdog organizations to be influenced rather than influential.

This has been a real wake-up call for the ethanol industry. While we haven’t been able to find the oil industry’s smoking gun — maybe we never will — crazy conspiracy theories don’t seem so crazy anymore. This is a propaganda battle of epic proportions, and the ethanol industry must continue to expose the misinformation, naïve misconceptions, skewed studies, bad data, and purchased P.R. that threatens to undermine the future of biofuels in America.

Remember, we have the truth on our side.



Here’s the Worldwatch Institute e-mail:

From: "Worldwatch Institute"
Date: Fri, 16 May 2008 14:14:19

Subject: Food vs. Fuel, What's the Real Deal?

Dear Fellow Worldwatcher,

How many days could someone be fed on the corn needed to fill the tank of an ethanol-fueled SUV?

Answer: 365.

Today's biofuels industry is being built on an agricultural system that is unsustainable. Until this system is fixed, rising production of both fuels and food will wreak havoc on ecosystems, the climate, and the world's hungriest people.

We've said it for years, but it's increasingly clear that using food to produce fuel is not an efficient use of resources. And the expansion of some biofuel crops could make the world's climate problem even worse.

Your financial support enables us to stay ahead of the curve—bringing you independent research on global environmental issues, like biofuels, before they hit the mainstream news. Please donate to our spring campaign today!

Two studies published recently in the journal Science reinforced the urgency of moving quickly to a "second generation" of biofuels, including cellulosic ethanol that can be produced from waste materials and non-food crops that can be grown on marginal land.

The gist of the studies? Diverting corn for U.S. biofuel production can lead farmers and ranchers as far away as the Amazon to clear land for pasture and soybeans—releasing enormous quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

This year, we plan to release a report on U.S. biofuels that will bring this critical message to top government officials, agricultural leaders, and the investment community. These leaders must understand that biofuels are not an energy panacea and should be developed with caution.

Your support directly funds the balanced, interdisciplinary research you depend on. No other organization provides such thoughtful, cross-cutting research. Please make a gift today.

It's high time that policymakers in Washington and around the world reduce subsidies to food-based biofuels and increase support for biofuels that will truly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and not compete with food production.

Worldwatch has the environmental credentials, respect, and independence to spread this message in the United States and around the globe.

Your donation to this campaign will ensure that these critical recommendations reach decision makers who are shaping these policies now.

Sincerely,

Christopher Flavin

President

We've raised $6410 so far!

Your contribution of $35, $50, $100, $250, or more will make this critical work possible.

-Tom Bryan