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Biofuels:
From Basics to Barriers
11:00am-12:30pm
,
February 26, 2007
1302
Longworth
House
Office
Building
(STAFF
ONLY)
The Environmental and
Energy Study Institute invites you to join us for Biofuels:
From Basics to Barriers, a discussion on key hurdles
to overcome in the areas of biofuel feedstocks,
infrastructure, conversion technologies, and distribution.
The last several months have been good for the development
of biofuels. The passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005
(P.L. 109-58) spurred the development of biofuels.
Currently there are 113 ethanol and 105 biodiesel plants
across the country. Still
biofuels only make up a small fraction of the total
US
transportation fuel
market, biofuels capacity is only 6.5 billion gallons per
year. There
appears to be broad-based support for biofuels to become a
significant part of our fuel mix. But the larger question
facing policymakers and the industry is what will it take
for these biofuels to become a larger part of the
transportation fuel market? Take this opportunity to ask
the questions that most impact you and the policies of
your bosses.
The
oil industry began in the mid-1800s and has developed an
efficient, opportunistic, and integrated system from
discovery to consumption of petroleum products.
The ability of biofuels to allow the public to fill
up its cars with inexpensive fuel, while providing jobs,
protecting the environment, reducing our reliance on oil
and competing in a low carbon world, will only happen
through the same strategic adaptation of the current
system.
Speakers
will discuss several issues relating to some of the
barriers faced by an expanding biofuels market. Short
overviews will be given, followed by a period of
‘Question & Answers’. This is meant to be an open
discussion.
Speakers:
·
Dr.
Jason Hill: Research Associate with the Department of Applied Economics and
Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the
University
of
Minnesota
, Twin Cities
Handout:
Overcoming Barriers to Biofuels
Presentation: Overcoming Barriers to Biofuels
·
Steve
Griffen: Board
member of the New York Farm Viability Institute
Developing Willow
Biomass (slides)
Farm
Bill Proposal and the CRP
·
Samantha
Slater, Director of Congressional & Regulatory Affairs, Renewable Fuels
Association
Click here for "
Contribution
of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United
States"
as prepared for the Renewable Fuels Association
·
Jill
Euken:
Industrial Specialist, Biobased Products,
Iowa
State
University
(ISU) Extension/CIRAS;
Assistant Director, Office of Biorenewables Programs, ISU
*Though unable to join us, Jill still supplied slides
on Agriculture’s
Contribution to the Bioenergy Value Chain, and
a handout to explain them*
·
David Bransby
: Professor of Energy Crops
and Bioenergy in the Department. of Agronomy and Soils at
Auburn
University
*Though unable to
join us, David supplied Commentary
on the Billion Ton Report and the Potential Role of
Dedicated Energy Crops and Cellulosic
Biofuels Technologies (full report) and an Executive
Summary
New
technologies only become staples of our everyday lives
through investments in considerable research,
demonstration, deployment and commercialization. The
creation of a biofuels infrastructure means adapting an
agriculture system developed over decades for a well
established set of crops – the confines of existing
equipment, harvesting techniques, and systems for
transportation, are limitations that need to be overcome
for this new bioeconomy. A greatly expanded bioeconomy
will require diversifying feedstocks and conversion
technologies, which also will garner greater support for
biofuels from the environmental community and increase
participation from a wider spectrum of farmers and
foresters. Furthermore,
to penetrate the transportation market, which is currently
97 percent dependent on petroleum, biofuels distribution
systems will need to be flexible and compatible with
current transportation systems.
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