Commercial Scale Cellulosic Ethanol Arrives—Finally
The question of biofuels as an energy source has probably generated more heat than light. It has also powered a great many vehicle miles that otherwise would have been powered by gasoline. Whether you consider that a good thing or a bad thing will likely determine your position on the issue.
Conservatives dislike biofuels because they represent a large government program and because they pose a genuine threat to one of their biggest supporters, the oil industry. Liberals dislike them because they are the legacy of George W. Bush and because of their inherent distrust of industrial agriculture which benefits greatly from the commitments that have been made.
While these facts are all true, they are more distractions than anything to do with the crux of the matter. Clearly, the issue is complex enough to merit an entire book, but let me just focus your attention on what is happening right now.
The oil industry lobby works tirelessly to protect the hundreds of billions of dollars of profits that their sponsors receive every year. Sensing an opportunity in the public’s combination of confusion over and dislike of ethanol, they have gone on the offensive, asking the EPA to back off on the amount of ethanol mandated under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The EPA has listened and as of December, they have reduced the amount of ethanol that must be produced by 1.34 billion gallons, a reduction of roughly 8%. Further greater reductions of as much as 40% are on the table and will be decided in June.
While it’s true that there is much to dislike in the corn ethanol program, including its energy intensity, competition with food, and relatively small net energy benefit, not to mention the fact that we are now producing far more gasoline domestically via fracking and other questionable means, there is a sustainable gem at the heart of the program.
RP Siegel, author and inventor, shines a powerful light on numerous environmental and technological topics. He has been published in business and technical journals and has written three books. His third, co-authored with Roger Saillant, is Vapor Trails, an eco-thriller that is being adapted for the big screen. RP is a professional engineer – and a prolific inventor, with 50 patents, numerous awards, and several commercial products. He is president of Rain Mountain LLC and is an active environmental advocate in his hometown of Rochester, N.Y. In addition to Justmeans, he writes for Triple Pundit, ThomasNet News, and Energy Viewpoints, occasionally contributing to Mechanical Engineering, Strategy + Business, and Huffington Post. You can follow RP on Twitter, @RPSiegel.
