Massachusetts Enacts Advanced Biofuels Bill

As a Massachusetts resident, I've come to like Deval Patrick less and less. He seems to be for sale to the highest bidder -- the gaming industry, specious biotech companies and now, the biofuel industry. He also seems never to have read much Shakespeare -- he's just not at all concerned about the fleas with which he has been plagued since taking office, thanks to the dogs he lies with. He should be ashamed of all such revenue initiatives, particularly since a UN summit in March of this year in Rome featured the most -- rightfully -- condemning speech on the biofuels industry by Jacques Diouf, the UN's G.D. of Food and Agriculture Organisation since first the debates began at this level more than two years ago. Burning food to fuel SUVs while people starve is just reprehensible and should not be promoted by any government. There are far more sustainable technologies that have been developed, such as hydrogen.

Perhaps you might learn a little about what CELLULOSIC ethanol is before posting liberal rants.

I am proud that MA is taking the lead to require more biofuel usage and in bringing Clean Tech companies to the state. I support all new innovations that are environmentally friendly and economically sound in this field. In particular, we should seek ones that result in sustainable fuel from non-food crops (e.g. algae, jatropha, seashore mallow etc.) and waste sources. While I also ultimately support the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier for transportation, the distribution infrastructure doesn't exist and makes it too costly a solution. The benefits biofuel can bring to our economy and energy security are clear; it can piggy-back off of pre-existing infrastructure, current cars need minimal modifications to use it, and we don't need to fight wars and waste our financial and human resources to get it. The food vs. fuel debate, as it relates to biofuel, is muddied by inconclusive and misleading reports, such as the one produced by the FAO. An article in the current issue of Biodiesel Magazine entitled "Lobbyists manufacture food-versus-fuel controversy" uncovers a campaign by special interests led by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Glover Park Group to undermine and discredit the biofuels industry, trying to get us to blame the biofuels industry for higher food prices, as opposed to the real reasons: high oil and fertilizer prices. The whole corn-based ethanol debacle is a Bush initiative....what do you expect?!

http://jean.posterous.com/the-biofuel-scam

We have to stop this non-sense of using arable land at 1% solar efficiency when we can use desert land at 20% efficiency or more with existing solar technologies.

Biofuels have an amazing list of cons, they:

* Use arable land and push farmers to destroy forests worsening the problem.
* Put upward pressure on food prices worldwide threatening to starve billions.
* Pollute when used (burned), not just by emitting CO2, which is a non-toxic gas, but with CO, NOx and other deadly cancer-causing pollutants.
* Require oil and phosphate-based fertilizers, which are not renewable. Fertilizers eventually pollute water sources.


Food production is already becoming a worldwide problem today with decreasing fossil-water resources, depleted soils, pollutions, decreasing arable land in general due to over-exploitation and irrigation, expanding cities and growing populations worldwide.

Brazil is gaining energy independence at the cost of the destruction of the Amazon rain-forest, 40% of which will be destroyed in the next two decades according to National Geographic, January 2007.

The target energy source must be:

* Non-polluting when used
* Truly Renewable
* Not interfering with food production, forests, and biodiversity in general

The non-hybrid electric engine is the solution to ground transportation. Less expensive to produce, less parts, lower maintenance cost, and fast contrary to what many people think. Range issues are solved with new infrastructure such as battery replacement stations and electric plugs in parking lots. Batteries are 100% recyclable and can be financed to reduce upfront capital costs as Better Place has shown.

How much subsidy does cellulosic ethanol need?
$.64 per gallon for collection
$1.01 per gallon federal fuel
and now $.23 per gallon state fuel
total so far $1.88 per gallon
Give me a break!