Senator
Richard Lugar, Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, convened a
hearing to examine ways in which renewable fuels, including ethanol and
biodiesel, can aid in curbing greenhouse gases while increasing the nation's
energy security. The hearing came on the heels of the Iraqi standoff against
UN weapons inspectors and in anticipation of the Kyoto Summit in Japan
regarding global climate change."Current events in Iraq remind us that a dependence on Middle Eastern oil places the United States and the world at a strategic and economic disadvantage," said Senator Lugar. "We meet today to think through the many ways that agriculture can help supply our nation's energy demand while also reducing potential harm to the environment."
James Woolsey, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency testified about recent technological developments in cellulose to ethanol production, and the potential for cellulosic ethanol to substantially increase the availability of ethanol in the marketplace. "The economic fruits of supplying the world's transportation fuel would be far more broadly distributed among nations and among individuals if those who work the land began to replace, as fuel producers, the owners of oil resources in a few oil-exporting states," said Woolsey.
Reid Detchon of Biomass Energy Advocates echoed Woolsey's sentiments, noting that the growing cellulosic ethanol industry can both allow for a significant displacement of imported fossil fuels while benefitting the environment as well. "Taking steps to introduce ethanol into the market at large scale is one step we can take to reduce our emissions," said Detchon.
