Corn Is Bad for the Planet and Other Living Things

Well, sort of:

A $500,000 study paid for by the federal government and released Sunday in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Climate Change concludes that biofuels made with corn residue release 7 percent more greenhouse gases in the early years compared with conventional gasoline.

While biofuels are better in the long run, the study says they won’t meet a standard set in a 2007 energy law to qualify as renewable fuel.

The conclusions deal a blow to what are known as cellulosic biofuels, which have received more than a billion dollars in federal support but have struggled to meet volume targets mandated by law.

Forget for a moment the corn vs crude debate. Instead notice that Washington threw money and mandates at the problem without getting the desired production or the desired outcome.

Maybe there’s a larger lesson in there somewhere.