Biofuel Blues

June 16, 8:28 AMBirmingham Science News ExaminerPaul Hamaker

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Birmingham Science News Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

The EPA's Proposed Rule for the expanded Renewable Fuel Standard was addressed by both biofuel, ethanol, and petroleum producers in a meeting May 9, 2009.

Some of the more interesting results from the meeting are:

1) The proposed volume of biofuels dictated by the EPA is greater than all the wood produced in the US could supply,
2) A disparity in calculation of total carbon emission  favors all producers in some way and
harms all producers in some way,
3) The attempt to solve world wide environmental problems by taxing the US manufacturer is a main sticking point of the EPA's proposal.

What may well happen:

1) Biofuel producers will either shut down, increase the acreage they use if financially able, or form a lobby larger than big oil to promote their companies.
2) The cost of corns and soybeans to the average consumer will sky rocket along with the cost of ethanol, biodiesel, and gasoline,
3) The investment interest in biofuels will decline rapidly as the potential for returns is shattered by EPA mandates,
4) The increase in jobs in the biofuel sector will decline rapidly despite huge infusions of taxpayer dollars.

A possible solution is Kudzu. There are thousands of tons of Kudzu in the South. There is a process that turns Kudzu into ethanol. A few companies are using the process now. The methodology has been proven to be economically viable.

http://www.chemicallygreen.com/kudzu-ethanol
http://www.koaa.com/aaaaaa_down_to_earth/x471791254/Fuel-made-from-kudzu-plants
htttp://www.discovery.com/news/2008/06/16/kudzu-biofuel-ethanol.html

Of course we all knew that once the government got involved in a good thing like biofuels there would be a catastrophe. It is starting. Government can screw up anything good.

http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-national.php?Id=1263&yr=2009
http://www.linexlegal.com/transit.php?content_id=92471&id8=1
http://ethanolproducer.com/article.jsp?article_id=5759
http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=3546