Soy beans on the left, and corn, on the right, are being used for bio-fuel. Photo by cindy47452.

Today, Brenda Gorman reports in the New York Times about a rash of cases involving the bio-fuels industry in which industrial waste is improperly disposed, fouling rivers and streams in states like Alabama and Missouri. The title of her article suggests the internal contradictions of a purportedly green business that harms the environment: “Pollution Is Called a Byproduct of a ‘Clean’ Fuel.” As Ms. Gorman writes,

The discharges [from the bio-fuel plants], which can be hazardous to birds and fish, have many people scratching their heads over the seeming incongruity of pollution from an industry that sells products with the promise of blue skies and clear streams.

For more of TheCityFix’s coverage on bio-fuels, click here, here, here, and here.

If you’re interested in the topic, the Washington Post has a similar article, “Solar Energy Firms Leave Waste Behind in China.”