One topic that has been discussed is the idea that the use of ethanol in America is causing deforestation in South American countries such as Brazil. Pressure on the world’s forests from the renewable energy sector also continues to grow. Forests are being replaced with biofuel crops such as sugarcane and other ethanol feedstocks to meet growing global renewable energy demand. Dr. Daniel Nepstad of the Woods Hole Research Center insists that. …show more content…
The demand for grain crops, created by the ethanol industry, increases crop value and offers enormous potential economic growth in small rural communities. In 2011, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) estimated that the ethanol industry and other related industries in the United States directly employed 90,200 Americans. An additional 311,400 Americans found work in industries indirectly affiliated with ethanol production. These 401,600 jobs helped create nearly $30 billion in household income and contributed $42.4 billion to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).The record ethanol production also helped displace a record 485 million barrels of imported oil worth $49.7 billion