Will Green Ooze And Genetic Engineering Save Biofuels?
As the Wall Street Journal reports, the biofuel industry is, yet again, suffering tough times. The National Biodiesel Board has released a report claiming the industry "could be expected to collapse" unless the federal biofuels tax credit expiring December 31, 2009 is renewed. However, Congressional action is uncertain, even as state and local governments fail to mandate biodiesel use. The tepid support is due, in part, to the fact feedstocks are typically food crops, as opposed to sugar cane, castor plants or algae, meaning biofuels swap food for fuel.
Help m
ay be on the way, though. First, the Department of Energy is aggressively fun
ding feedstock alternatives to grain and corn including algae. Second, the USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service is considering a petition from Syngenta Seeds, Inc. to deregulate corn genetically engineered to produce a microbial enzyme that facilitates ethanol production. If APHIS grants the petition, then the GE corn and its progeny would no longer be regulated and could be planted without APHIS permits or oversight, obviating some of the "food v. fuel" concerns through increased yields.
