Canadian green party member argues for both sides of ethanol argument

I was checking out the blog of an old friend that I grew up with, who now lives on Prince Edward Island. PEI is an island province on the Atlantic coast of Canada, and apparently they are trying to cash in on the ethanol boom. An ethanol production plant is being proposed for construction in Georgetown, PEI. The leader of provincial Green party there, Sharon Labchuk, is ambivalent about having a local production plant. Her party's most recent national election platform is very supportive of biofuels and resolutions that came out of their most recent party convention go even farther. They propose having 20 percent biofuel content in Canada by 2020, not collecting sales taxes on the biofuel fraction of fuel sales and diverting federal GMO biotechnology research funds towards organic food production and efficient biofuel crop development. This sounds like they support ethanol and other biofuels. However, this week Ms Labchuk characterized ethanol production as a "huge hoax" and raised concerns about air and water pollution from the plant.

Based what's being said, it sounds more like the PEI Green party is suffering a case of NIMBY. They want to support biofuel production and use as long as that production takes place somewhere else. Admittedly, ethanol, particularly from corn is controversial, but for the moment it is the most viable biofuel in North America and the Green Party might want step back and decide what they really want.

[Source: ruk]