Web exclusive posted April 25, 2008 at 10:31 a.m. CST

The National Biodiesel Board chief executive officer called a Time magazine article "a distorted, inaccurate picture of biofuels."

The April 7 article, The Clean Energy Myth, by Time senior correspondent Michael Grunwald, paints a devastating picture of the rush to convert the forests of the Amazon and savannas of the Cerado in biofuel crop farms. He also points out that according to recent scientific reports, when deforestation is taken into account, biofuels, and particularly ones made from food crops, don't provide the greenhouse gas emission savings they've been touted to provide.

In a letter to Time, NBB CEO Joe Jobe countered the Time article. "The overwhelming body of data demonstrates the carbon benefits of biofuels. For every unit of energy it takes to make domestic biodiesel, 2.5 units are gained, giving biodiesel the highest energy balance of any liquid fuel," Jobe said. "It also has a 78 percent life-cycle carbon dioxide reduction. In 2007 alone, biodiesel's contribution to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions was the equivalent of removing 700,000 passenger vehicles from America's roadways."

"The U.S. biodiesel industry strongly opposes rain forest destruction and nonsustainable agricultural practices," Jobe said, in response to the article's description of deforestation and land use changes. "It is implementing a major initiative to enhance the overall sustainability of biodiesel production."

In his letter, he also highlighted the benefits of biofuels to the U.S. economy. "Biodiesel increases our renewable-energy supply, adds well-paying, green jobs to the economy and reduces carbons and other emissions. I am proud to work in an industry that addresses these critical issues facing our nation and world."