by Anthony Megna

Created on: June 15, 2008   Last Updated: December 27, 2010

We need corn for food, not fuel! There are other options to create the fuel we need.  We are working on better ways to manufacture energy with biomass. Switchgrass, straw and other plant wastes are the keys to kicking the oil importation habit. It is called cellulosic ethanol. The net energy from this type of ethanol is three times higher than from corn or soybeans. Plus, cellolosic ethanol emits even lower greenhouse gases than existing ethanol. This is the key to our energy future.

The government needs to increase research into this area and fast. Currently, there are about fifty million dollars being poured into this research. This needs to be upped to the maximum amount possible. Energy dependence is a national security issue, so doesn't it make sense to cold turkey our addiction to imported oil asap? We have billions of tons of biomass in this country to make cellulosic ethanol now. We just need to build the plants to process the plant waste and to refine our research to maximize the output of this new energy and we are on our way.

The automotive industry is beginning to make flex-fuel vehicles now. A little late, but at least they are doing it. Brazil has been doing it for years. In fact, Brazil started gearing up their ethanol industry beginning in the 1970's. They didn't want any part of being dependent on foreign oil, and sugarcane grows like wildfire there. That is where they get there ethanol from. Now, they are basically energy independent. We could have done the same thing, but our politicians were too busy taking gas-guzzling limos to their next lunch date to remember a small thing like oil. The only oil they were worried about was what oil to put on their salad.

Now we are paying the grievous price. We all know we must stop relying upon imported oil, but we all realize we are a little late to the game.  That seems to be the way in this country.....crisis management!  If the politicians could just put their differences aside for maybe a minute and get something done in this department we'd all be better off.  That's probably a pipe-dream, but that is what it's going to take and there is no sense hiding from the truth!

Cellulosic ethanol will solve an awful lot of the country's problems. It will put more farmers back to work growing this new harvest, and we just might get back down to reasonable prices to fuel our way of life.

This should be a national priority. This has to be at the top of everyone's list. We will all benefit and speed is of the essence. That may sound cliche, but so didn't the term "energy crisis" not so long ago!

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