Biofuels are a Long-Term Renewable Solution
by Senator John Thune (R-SD) (Politico) As Congress, the administration and the private sector look for ways to reduce our consumption of imported oil, we should not overlook the most readily available domestic alternative to imported oil: biofuels. The development of the biofuels industry has created jobs across the nation and given agricultural producers new, reliable crop markets, while decreasing our demand for fossil fuels.
Biofuels can be an even more significant part of our long-term energy strategy if Congress and the Obama administration embrace some common-sense proposals.
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 expanded the Renewable Fuels Standard, which significantly increased the market for biofuels. The new RFS calls for the production of 36 billion gallons of ethanol by 2022. Of that total, 21 billion must be cellulosic ethanol, which is a second-generation biofuel refined from nonedible biomass. Wood chips, prairie grasses and corn stalks and cobs are all cellulosic feedstocks that can be found all over the country. Cellulosic ethanol has the potential to expand the economic growth of corn ethanol beyond the borders of farm country to every corner of our nation.
… I find it unacceptable that after several years of crafting a national energy policy that promotes renewable fuels, the greatest threats to the renewable fuels industry are arbitrary and misguided government regulations. The United States will not achieve energy independence if Congress both promotes renewable fuels and enacts laws that limit the future growth of our biofuels industry. READ MORE
