> Cara Lin Bridgman wrote: > Here's the link to a recent article by George Monbiot on Biofuels. > http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/03/27/109/
Ironically, eight years ago the commondreams.org newscenter ran an article that favored, rather than opposed, federal funding of research and development on biofuels such as ethanol: http://www.commondreams.org/pressreleases/may99/052799g.htm MAY 27, 1999 Union of Concerned Scientists Steve Clemmer, 617-547-5552 Energy Crops Need Boost from Congress Biomass Bill Could Spur Rural Development, Clean Air, Energy Diversity Steve Clemmer, senior energy analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists, voiced his support for the National Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals Act of 1999 (S. 935) before the US Senate Agriculture Committee on Thursday. "It costs about one-third as much to produce a gallon of ethanol today as it did in 1980," Clemmer said. "Federal research and development will be a key driver in continuing to lower the cost and improve the performance of biomass technologies." "By increasing our reliance on domestic biomass and other renewable energy resources, a large portion of the $60 billion that flows out of the United States each year to purchase imported oil could remain in the economy, providing jobs for Americans and reducing US dependence on unstable foreign fuel imports." "Biomass has the technical potential to supply up to half of the nation's electricity and up to two-thirds of the nation's motor fuel needs without irrigation and without competing with food crops. And increased biomass use would reduce US global warming gases and other pollution while lowering the cost of complying with environmental regulations." "Electricity generation and automobiles are responsible for two-thirds of the US contribution to global warming," Clemmer said. "In contrast, energy crops produce virtually zero global warming gases." Paul Cherubini El Dorado, Calif.
