Renewable Fuels Association Vice President Geoff Cooper notes that data from USDA show that 2010 application rates of the three common macronutrient fertilizers, nitrogen, potassium, and phosphate, were the same–or below—the application rates seen in the early 1980s. Thus, nitrogen application per bushel of corn produced is down more than 30 percent since the early 1980s, while potassium and phosphate usage per bushel are down some 40 percent. Likewise the amount of water, energy, and land required to produce a bushel of corn were substantially reduced between 1987 and 2007.

Critics contend that the growing production of ethanol at the more than 200 biorefineries across the country has increased resource use as well. But, according to Cooper, the energy required to produce a gallon of ethanol has fallen by 28 percent since 2001 to just under 26,000 BTUs.  That compares to the 77,000 BTUs contained in a gallon of ethanol.  Cooper says – such improvements alone completely undermine and render dishonest claims that ethanol production uses more energy than it produces.