Today in Biofuels Opinion: “Instead of sending $16.5 billion to the Mideast, we were able to send that money to the Midwest”

July 16, 2008

Ross Walker, Airbus engineering programme manager, alternative fuels: “With the cost of a barrel of oil at present levels, alternative fuels are now becoming viable…[by 2030, 30% of aviation fuels will be biofuels, and] to achieve this we must have international and cross-industry collaboration.”

Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska: “6.5 billion gallons of ethanol took the place of 228 million barrels of oil for a savings of $16.5 billion. That means, instead of sending $16.5 billion to the Mideast, we were able to send that money to the Midwest. We must keep our eyes on the future and our goal of energy security, so we can control our own destiny and not be at the mercy of other countries for our energy supply.”

Today in Biofuels Opinion: “Domestically produced fuels bring jobs and money back to our communities”

From the Tucson Citizen (Colleen Crowinshield, Clean Cities manager for the Pima Association of Governments): "Did you know that an average of one farmer a day retires due to lack of crop demand? Does...

President Bush says US must “Get off oil”, says rising corn costs should not prompt retreat from biofuels, but more R&D

Speaking at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC), President George W. Bush said that the United States needed to "get off oil" and backed cellulosic ethanol as the best pat...

Today in Biofuels Opinion: “There are 21 farm states, and that’s 42 senators…They’re going to have ethanol.”

T Boone Pickens, reporting a conversation in 1996 with Bob Dole: "He said, "Ethanol is, you say it's a bad fuel." I said, "Come on Bob, you spend more money making it than importing it." And he said, ...

Today in Biofuels Opinion: Missouri Governor says biofuels not to blame for food prices; National Review calls for end to ethanol mandate

The Portland Tribune carried an article by the Special Assistant to the Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, saying that "Whatever else one may criticize about corn ethanol, or biofuels i...

Today in Biofuels Opinion: “The entire U.S. will go to a 10% [ethanol] blend; the course has been set”

Don Endres, CEO of VeraSun Energy, commenting on the $1.21 spread between ethanol and gasoline prices: "In the fuel business, dollar-plus margins are unheard of. The entire U.S. will go to a 10% [etha...

Today in Biofuels Opinion: Mubarak asks “Is it logical or even acceptable that agricultural crops are used to produce ethanol?”

At the World Economic Forum, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt: "Is it logical or even acceptable that agricultural crops are used to produce ethanol, leading to a worse crisis in food prices?" Also...

Written by Jim Lane · Filed Under Opinion