The Political Climate: an ongoing commentary on the NH Primary and Climate Change

A few reports and articles have recently brought the viability of grain-based or corn ethanol as an alternative to fossil fuels into question.  Grain based ethanol is a fuel that a majority of the Presidential candidates highlight as they list off the various clean alternative energy sources they support.

There has been concern for some time about the “energy ratio” of producing fuel from corn, because so much fuel goes into the creation of the corn itself, including in fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides made from petrochemicals.  Add to that the fossil fuels used to transport the stuff “out East,” and you’ve got a product likely to create more CO2 than it will save.

Now that ethanol has gained favor and subsidies, we’re beginning to see another issue cropping up (pun intended).  In last week’s issue of the agribusiness newspaper Feedstuffs, Tom Elam lists “10 inconvenient facts” about grain-based ethanol.  Elam notes that total ethanol production in 2007 equaled 1.6 billion gallons of gas, the equivalent of only three days of Saudi Arabian oil production and only 1.1% of U.S. gasoline consumption.  Elam concludes that if this small level of production is already increasing the global costs of food production, ethanol should not be subsidized as it is today, it should be taxed.

Another critique came in a recent report in the journal Science.  The report found that to replace 10% of petroleum consumption with grain-based biofuels it would require 43% of current cropland in the U.S. and 38% in Europe.  The feasibility of replacing such large percentages of crop land for ethanol is dubious.  The authors conclude that the “up front emissions cost” caused by clearing of more forests would nullify the benefit of any long term reductions.

The Science report is not entirely bleak.  They also suggest that the “conversion of woody biomass into fuel” an industry with potential in New Hampshire, “may be ‘compatible’ with retaining forest carbon stocks.” 

There is an interesting opportunity to learn more about wood as a renewable energy source in New Hampshire this Saturday.  New England Wood Pellet is hosting a Wood Energy Day at their Jaffrey manufacturing plant to teach citizens about this cutting edge technology. Candidates interested in learning more about making renewable fuels the New Hampshire way might want to stop by.