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Headline	Author	Published	Section
Biofuel for the flames Are biofuels a core solution?	Joseph Romm	18 Jul 2008	Gristmill
As part of my ongoing series on core climate solutions (see links below), let's examine biofuels. If we are going to avoid catastrophic climate outcomes, we need some 11 'stabilization wedges' from 2015 to 2040. So if you want to be a core climate solution, you need to be able to generate a large fraction of a wedge in a climate-constrained world. And that is a staggering amount of low-carbon energy. Princeton's Socolow and Pacala describe one wedge of biofuel in ...
Topics: biofuels, climate, climate science, population (all these topics)

Top of the crops USDA scientist: Some crop residues may be too valuable for biofuels	Ron Steenblik	17 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Converting crop residues into cellulosic ethanol sounds to many people like a good idea -- certainly better than using food crops themselves. Yet according to respected USDA soil scientist Ann Kennedy, the stems and leaves left over after crops are harvested may have more value if they are left on the ground, especially in areas receiving less than 25 inches of precipitation annually. That includes most of the United States (click on link to see map) west of the 100th ...
Topics: scientific research, agriculture, biofuels, ethanol (all these topics)

In My Hunger Days USDA pessimistic on hunger outlook		09 Jul 2008	News
Posted at 3:57 PM on 09 Jul 2008 In 2006, the U.S. Department of Agriculture calculated that 849 million people across the globe were "food-insecure" -- consuming less than 2,100 calories a day, or, in a word, hungry. But in its 2006 Food Security Report, the agency took an optimistic view of the situation, suggesting that the number of malnourished would fall to 800 million by 2017. Well, so much for that idea: In the just-released ...
Topics: biofuels, Department of Agriculture, food, news (all these topics)

World Bank responds to Guardian biofuel report Bank chief Zoelick hints his old boss Bush is full of it on biofuels and food prices	Tom Philpott	09 Jul 2008	Gristmill
As I reported a few days ago, the Guardian recently uncovered what it called a 'secret' World Bank assessment holding U.S. and European biofuel boosterism largely responsible for the recent run-up in global food prices. You know, the one that has pushed 50 million new people under the poverty line globally, and essentially priced tens of millions of already-poor folks out of food markets. (The government-engineered biofuel boom has also unleashed a veritable tsunami of ...
Topics: biofuels, food, international politics, politics, World Bank (all these topics)

We Said What We Parliament E.U. committee vote signals backstep from biofuels		08 Jul 2008	News
Posted at 5:11 PM on 08 Jul 2008 The European Union took another step back from biofuels late Monday, as the Parliament's environment committee approved 36-0 a proposal to lower the E.U.'s original target for biofueled transportation. The committee's proposal would have the E.U. source just 4 percent of transportation fuels from biomass by 2015, then do a major review before jumping to the current target of 10 percent ...
Topics: biofuels, energy, European Union, international politics, legislation, news, politics (all these topics)

The Guardian uncovers a 'secret' World Bank biofuel report Economist says biofuels have pushed up global food prices by 75 percent	Tom Philpott	05 Jul 2008	Gristmill
The 'Republican war on science' has evidently opened a new front: economics, a discipline often fetishized by the right. In a startling article published July 4, the Guardian reports that in a "secret" study, a World Bank senior economist concluded that the recent explosion in biofuels use has driven global food prices up by 75 percent -- a number much higher than estimates from other major sources. The USDA -- which has vigorously defended President Bush's se ...
Topics: biofuels, economy, ethanol, food, World Bank (all these topics)

Sweetening the deal Lugar calls for end to tariff on Brazilian sugarcane ethanol	Kate Sheppard	03 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) stopped by ($ub. req'd) the American Enterprise Institute yesterday to give a speech arguing that Congress should lift the 54-cents-a-gallon tariff on imported ethanol. 'To demonstrate leadership the United States should lift its tariff on Brazilian ethanol that now shelters the U.S. industry,' Lugar told the AEI crowd. Many politicians -- including Lugar, who's from a big corn state -- have supported the tariff to protect American biofuel ...
Topics: biofuels, energy, ethanol, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics)

A fuel's errand Republican House members ask EPA to scale back ethanol mandate	Kate Sheppard	02 Jul 2008	Gristmill
More than 50 Republican representatives sent a letter [PDF] to the Environmental Protection Agency last week urging the agency to lower the mandate for ethanol production in response to both the recent flooding in the Midwest and drought in the South. They argue that one-third of the country's corn crop will be used for ethanol to meet the Renewable Fuel Standard, and while the weather this year will cause a decrease in supply of corn, the RFS will increase demand ...
Topics: biofuels, Congress, energy, ethanol, Muckraker, news, politics, regulation, severe weather, US EPA (all these topics)

Tale of obsession A review of Fields of Fuel	biodiversivist	01 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Fields of Fuel, directed by Josh Tickell, is visually compelling and technically polished, which unfortunately bestows a veneer of legitimacy the film does not deserve. Promotional films are stereotypically one-sided, ignoring or glossing over negatives while exaggerating and or fabricating positives. That is to be expected, but what set this film apart from your generic promotional film is Tickell's success at manipulating viewers' emotions. The screening I att ...
Topics: movies, cars, biofuels, video, energy (all these topics)

Pyongyang syndrome Agriculture and energy solutions to avoid the fate of North Korea	Sharon Astyk	24 Jun 2008	Gristmill
John Feffer has a good article over at Asia Times Online. It points out the deep danger we're in -- how teetery both the world and America's food and energy systems are. It is well worth a read, particularly because of its clear articulation of the bind we're in -- the strategies we've used in the past to get out of disaster will only accelerate collapse in the long-term.. The tools we're using to get more food out of the ground take food from the future. The ana ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, energy, North Korea, organic food (all these topics)

Cuckoo for kudzu Kudzu as the next biofuel source?	Gar Lipow	20 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Some biofuel experts seem to think that the next big biofuel source should be kudzu in the U.S. I hope biodiversity experts and readers from the South will comment on this idea. Take the poll beneath the fold:
Topics: biofuels, energy, renewable energy (all these topics)

How biofuels are like drugs Not all biofuels are the same; we can do biofuel well or poorly	Vinod Khosla	17 Jun 2008	Gristmill
To my surprise, recently I found myself the subject of an editorial by the Wall Street Journal which characterized me as a strong advocate of subsidies for food-based ethanol, and as a recipient of 'federal dole' who ought to 'take a vow of embarrassed silence.' I have not advocated subsidies for food-based ethanol. In fact, I strongly believe any nascent technology that cannot exist without subsidies beyond an introductory period will not gain market penetrati ...
Topics: energy, biofuels, ethanol, cellulosic ethanol (all these topics)

Gulf dead zone: Not getting smaller As fertilizer flows from the Midwest, a vast algae bloom thrives below the Mississippi	Tom Philpott	12 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Every year since the early 1980s, a monstrous algae bloom has risen up in the Gulf of Mexico, fed by fertilizer runoff from Midwest farms. The nasty growth sucks oxygen from the ocean beneath it -- snuffing out sea life even as climate change and other human-induced factors threaten the globe's fish stocks. Ironically, as fish go belly up in the Gulf, the bulk of the corn and soy grown on Midwest farms ends up in feedlots to fatten the livestock that feed America's rav ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, ethanol, fishing, Mississippi (all these topics)

Corn polls New surveys suggest changing views on biofuels	Ron Steenblik	11 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Biofuel policy has made it to the polls. Yesterday, the National Center for Public Policy Research, a nonprofit, non-partisan educational foundation based in Washington, D.C., released the results of a survey (PDF) conducted at the beginning of this month which claims to have found that most Americans -- 'including those in the Farm Belt' -- want Congress to reduce or eliminate the mandated use of corn ethanol. In response to the key question, 'What do you think Congr ...
Topics: European Union, biofuels, ethanol, climate, politics, agriculture, energy (all these topics)

Call for an end to Washington State biofuel mandates ASUW student body transcends State and Federal legislators	biodiversivist	10 Jun 2008	Gristmill
A resolution opposing current Washington State biofuel policies (website not yet updated to reflect acceptance of resolution) passed in the University of Washington Student Senate on the third of June. The Associated Students of the University of Washington are, to my knowledge, the first legislative body in the country to take this bold step. The following is a brief history of how it came to be:Back in February, The Daily ran a short story about UW's plans to incr ...
Topics: Jay Inslee, dirty hippies, Washington, biofuels, energy (all these topics)

Algae Whiz Sapphire Energy hopes to soon power your car with algae		29 May 2008	News
Posted at 11:16 AM on 29 May 2008 Sapphire Energy says it has successfully turned algae into biofuel, raising hopes that a viable oil alternative could be produced without need for agricultural land. The indeed-sapphire-colored fuel produced by the year-old company is coaxed from algae, sunlight, non-potable salt water, and carbon dioxide. Sapphire says its fuel is equivalent to conventional crude in both chemical makeup and pric ...
Topics: biofuels, business, energy, greenish companies, news, progress (all these topics)

Pour Some Sugar on Swede Swedish company will vend verified sustainable ethanol		27 May 2008	News
Posted at 2:57 PM on 27 May 2008 Swedish biofuel company SEKAB says it will become the first company to vend ethanol verified to be environmentally and socially sustainable. The company is partnering with Brazilian producers to develop criteria for the full lifecycle of fuel-bound sugarcane, verifying that the fuel was not produced through child or slave labor, was processed in fair working conditions for fair wages ...
Topics: biofuels, business, energy, news, Sweden (all these topics)

Feeding the food-for-fuel debate USDA defends America's fuel supply	biodiversivist	27 May 2008	Gristmill
Vinod Khosla. Photo: brettwayn via Flickr. Much of what Vinod Khosla had to say in his latest post, and my responses to that post here, have been covered in previous posts. So, if some of this sounds eerily familiar, now you know why. Admittedly, I have an advantage in this debate because he can't respond directly to my arguments. Remember the West Wing episode where the Josh Lyman character makes the mistake of responding to a blogger? On the other hand, ...
Topics: ag policy, agriculture, biofuels, Department of Agriculture, energy (all these topics)

The farm bill ups the cellulosic ethanol ante Lost amid the crop-subsidy battle, a new biofuel regime	Tom Philpott	24 May 2008	Gristmill
Amid all the thunder and lightening about subsidies in the new farm bill -- which officially became law Thursday -- Congress made a major policy shift with regard to the goodies lavished on ethanol makers. Under previous policy, biofuel makers -- whether conventional or cellulosic -- benefit from a 51 cent a gallon tax credit conferred on gasoline blenders. No any more. According to a recent Environmental Law & Policy Center memorandum [PDF] summing up th ...
Topics: ag policy, agriculture, biofuels, energy, ethanol, legislation, politics (all these topics)

Biofictions Wall Street Journal editorial mischaracterizes both my position and biofuels	Vinod Khosla	22 May 2008	Gristmill
To my surprise, on Tuesday I found myself cited by the Wall Street Journal as a strong advocate of subsidies for food-based ethanol, and as a recipient of 'federal dole' who ought to 'take a vow of embarrassed silence.' While I appreciate the Journal's foray into fiction writing (and I'd love to discuss my status on the dole with my accountant, who recently filed my taxes), I would like to clarify a few facts and offer a more rounded view of biofuels and ethanol ...
Topics: ag policy, agriculture, biofuels, cellulosic ethanol, energy (all these topics)

Grease Is the Way We Are Stealin' Thieves targeting used cooking oil		21 May 2008	News
Posted at 3:01 PM on 21 May 2008 Leftover cooking grease is a hot commodity these days, and restaurants across the country are reporting being hit by slippery-fingered thieves. Biodiesel producers must legally register with the U.S. EPA, but DIY biofuelers are helping themselves to waste cooking oil as its value skyrockets along with the price of diesel. David Levenson, owner of a grease-hauling business in San Francisco, has ...
Topics: biofuels, energy, news (all these topics)

Weed Wack Biofuel-bound grasses are often invasive species		21 May 2008	News
Posted at 8:30 AM on 21 May 2008 As biofuel sources go, weeds and grasses are looked on with more favor than land-ravaging, food-price-raising corn and palm. But there's no such thing as a free lunch-in-your-tank, says a paper presented by green groups at a United Nations meeting Tuesday: "Some of the most commonly recommended species for biofuels production are also major invasive alien species." The quick growth and need for ...
Topics: biofuels, cellulosic ethanol, energy, news (all these topics)

Fertile for problems South America's industrial-ag powerhouse eyes rainforest potash deposits	Tom Philpott	21 May 2008	Gristmill
I've been writing for a while about industrial agriculture's fertilizer problem -- about how mass-scale food (and biofuel) production relies on finite, geopolitically problematic, and environmentally destructive resources to maintain soil fertility. (See posts here, here, and here.) Well, that story is heating up down in Brazil, an increasingly important hub in the global industrial food system. Brazil ranks as the world's second-largest soy producer (soon to overtak ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, Brazil, food, industrial ag (all these topics)

Danny sings the blues Seattle Times columnist needs a new ride	biodiversivist	07 May 2008	Gristmill
Via the Sunday Seattle Times: Danny Westneat has wrecked his car and needs a new ride. Now, I don't expect it to be easy being green. But this is ridiculous. What was hailed as our leading green alternative to petroleum [biodiesel] is now an affront to humanity? I wonder which print media gave him this false impression that biodiesel was our leading green alternative? But when we asked around about biodiesel, it didn't take long before the scolding started. Biodie ...
Topics: biofuels, cars, energy, oil, Seattle (all these topics)

Taking a pillow to a knife fight Traditional print media and complex issues	biodiversivist	06 May 2008	Gristmill
On Saturday I received an email with a link to an article by Lisa Stiffler in Friday's Seattle Times. I'm going to use it to demonstrate how newspapers can muddy the water when it comes to complex issues. First, her article is a perfectly good one -- and a very typical one. You can't put a hyperlink on paper. You can't afford to waste space for footnotes. You are constrained by a word count. You also have to craft a story, keep it local, and do your best not to show ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, energy, Washington (all these topics)

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