December 16. 2016
Conversion of stream buffers to crop production has increased agricultural runoff, creating problems for wildlife and water quality. (JackTheVicar/Wikipedia)
HARRISBURG, Pa. – The federal Renewable Fuel Standard has led to the destruction of millions of acres of wildlife habitat and has endangered water supplies, according to a new report.
The National Wildlife Federation report, “Fueling Destruction,” said wildlife has been put at risk by converting previously uncultivated land to grow corn and soybeans, the crops used to make most ethanol and biodiesel fuels. Report author David DeGennaro, an agricultural policy specialist, said 84,000 acres were converted in Pennsylvania between 2008 and 2012 alone, destroying habitat and increasing farm runoff into waterways.
“A lot of the land that’s being plowed up and converted are the buffers along waterways,” he said, “and that’s really important in keeping the sediment and fertilizers and pesticides from getting into water in the first place.”
Public News Service
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