Ethanol group launches $2.5 million TV ad buy

The ethanol industry trade group Growth Energy on Monday rolled out  a $2.5 million, six-month TV ad buy aimed at selling ethanol as a green alternative to oil imports from the Middle East and Venezuela.

“It’s a multi-million dollar campaign to get the facts to the people who have only heard one side of the story until now,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, at a press conference Monday. “We are going on offense and we are going to tell the real story.”

The buy consists of six brief spots on four cable networks -- Fox, MSNBC, CNN, and its sister network HLN (formerly Headline News). The ads tout what Growth Energy calls various benefits of ethanol. The ads can be viewed here.

One of the spots, titled “America’s Sensible Fuel,” notes “ethanol has contributed $0 to the governments of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela,” while a separate spot called “America’s Peace Fuel” notes “no wars have ever been fought over ethanol.”

Other spots tout domestic jobs and point out that “no beaches have been closed due to ethanol spills.”

The ads come as the industry is pushing hard to extend valuable tax credits that expire at year’s end. The tariff on ethanol imports is also set to lapse. On another front, the industry is pushing EPA to increase the level of ethanol that can be blended into gasoline used in conventional engines.

Also, ethanol producers have been on the defensive in recent years.

Livestock producers and some other food groups have alleged that expanding ethanol production increases corn prices, while some researchers and environmental groups say ethanol development worsens global warming by prompting deforestation in other countries (the industry calls both claims inaccurate).

Growth Energy formed in late 2008 that includes POET, the country’s largest ethanol producer. Retired Gen. Wesley Clark is the group's co-chairman.