Make Wisconsin a biofuels leader
The Wisconsin State Journal ran the following editorial on September 29, 2006:
The Legislature’s failure to require most gasoline in Wisconsin to contain 10 percent ethanol remains a glaring void in an otherwise flourishing effort to develop a homegrown biofuels industry.
Lawmakers should correct their mistake next year.Boosting biofuels benefits not only Wisconsin’s energy independence but also its economy and environment.
Biofuels are biologically-based, renewable alternatives to gasoline and other oil-based fuels. Biofuels include ethanol – an alcohol fuel made from crops like corn – and biodiesel, commonly made from soybeans.
The development of government policies to support biofuels has been slowed by questions about the fuels’ cost-effectiveness and environmental impact. But two advancements in Wisconsin, both reported last week, demonstrated how research and technology are answering the questions.
•At UW-Madison, researcher Paul Weimer is looking at the byproducts left behind when ethanol is made from switchgrass and other biomass materials, rather than corn. He has found the leftovers can be used to make a potentially valuable adhesive.
•At the Manitowoc Co., based in Manitowoc, testing is under way on a truck-mounted crane that runs on soy-based biodiesel and uses hydraulic fluid made from vegetable oil. The vegetable fluid for the crane’s hydraulics is biodegradable. Consequently, it would eliminate the environmental threat from hydraulic mechanisms that leak petroleum-based fluid.
Biofuels are not a magic solution to America’s energy problems. But they present an opportunity to use homegrown, renewable resources in place of imported, non-renewable oil. It’s a chance to keep jobs and income at home and be more environmentally friendly.
Moreover, as technology advances to make biofuels more cost-effective and as research finds more uses for the fuels and byproducts, the value of biofuels will grow.
States are competing to develop biofuels industries. Wisconsin cannot afford to squander its opportunity. Gov. Jim Doyle and Republican challenger Mark Green both deserve credit for favoring biofuel development. Doyle this month proposed $80 million in loans, grants and tax incentives to support the industry.
But other states have gained an advantage in the biofuels marketplace by requiring their gasoline to be blended to produce E10, a fuel that is 10 percent ethanol. Minnesota, Hawaii, Missouri, Montana, Washington and Iowa all have E10 mandates or renewable fuel standards geared to promote E10.
In Wisconsin, an E10 mandate passed the Assembly last year but stalled in the Senate.
An E10 requirement is good energy policy, environmental policy and economic policy. Wisconsin lawmakers should respond.
