Bio-Fuels in America

To whom it may concern,

Last year Brazil announced that they had produced enough bio-fuels from sugar cane that they were completely energy independent. The recent trend in America has been to produce bio-fuels from corn and other agricultural products. These agro-fuels are a serious detriment to the world's food supply and does little to provide a viable alternative to other fossil fuels. Perhaps only algae, which is inedible and has high vegetable oil content, could offset the production of some petroleum with relatively few environmental impacts by creating a reliable source of biodiesel. Bio-fuels from sugar cane produces ten times the amount of energy as that from corn, and there are few places in America to grow this crop. In fact, more energy would be consumed during the production and distribution of this corn than would be generated as ethanol. Instead of viewing bio-fuels as a way out of our dependence on foreign oil, it should be viewed as a secondary use for waste. Vegetable oil could be recycled, yard waste could be processed into cellulosic ethanol, and natural gas can be reclaimed instead of burned off from our landfills. Cellulosic ethanol shows the most promise for capturing energy that would otherwise be discarded. Instead of looking at bio-fuels as the silver bullet that will save us, it needs to be recognized as a practical source of local energy that is literally being thrown away. How will this administration assist local communities and governments with generating more cellulosic ethanol, reclaiming gas from landfills, and spurring private development of sustainable ethanol sources like algae?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP