BioFuels Journal

Washington - Calling it the latest case of oil industry payola, pro-RFS group Americans United for Change encouraged readers of a new report on biofuel C02 emissions authored by Professor John DeCicco of the University of Michigan Energy Institute to strongly consider the source.

The report was paid for by the American Petroleum Institute, the oil industry’s top lobby group, which has a long history of paying scientists to reach dubious conclusions and that is actively campaigning to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard to undermine its biofuels competition at the pump.

Brad Woodhouse, President, Americans United for Change: “Let’s be clear, Professor DeCicco’s work is bought and paid for by the oil lobby, like his last report on this topic.

And wouldn’t you know it, his conclusions once again support Big Oil’s profit motives and don’t give them any reason not to pay him for more ‘studies’ down the road.

Except, his conclusions fly in the face of overwhelming independent scientific evidence proving the opposite, whether it be from the Argonne National Laboratory, Purdue University, the University of Nebraska, Michigan State University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory/Duke University, the University of Illinois-Chicago and others.

Big Oil releasing a report claiming biofuels bear more blame for climate change than gasoline produced by dirty fossil fuels is like a Ryan Lochte police report: a totally made up story to cover up their own guilt.

“It’s the same play book Big Oil has been using for decades.

"They find scientists willing to take their money to say what they want to say, try to pass it off as scientific and unbiased, and use it to stop policies that would protect the climate and threaten the profits of the oil companies.

"DeCicco claims to be a scientist, but he is proposing saving the climate by giving big oil a bigger share of the market by pushing out renewable fuels.

"Sounds like the kinds of “scientists” Exxon paid off in the 1990s to say the jury was still out on what was causing climate change.

"Every responsible journalist ought to make clear to their readership that this study was a paid product of Big Oil.

"And we know their track record in supporting credible science when it comes to climate change.

"Hint: it’s as good as their track record of not spilling oil.”

For more information, please contact Jeremy Funk at 202-470-5878.

See Related Websites/Articles:

• Americans United For Change

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