Published June 12, 2006


Fueling Iowa's Future

Sometime this century, world oil production likely will reach its peak. Some 
experts think that Iowa could be a leader in producing the world's next 
generation of fuels. In "Fueling Iowa's Future," an occasional series of 
special reports, the Register's editorial-page staff is examining the 
potential for Iowa to lead the renewable-fuels revolution. To read earlier 
commentaries, go to DesMoinesRegister.com/energy




Shift focus to biofuels beyond corn ethanol

Next governor needs long-term vision on energy.

REGISTER EDITORIAL BOARD


Candidates for governor Jim Nussle and Chet Culver both emphasize Iowa's 
potential to become a major energy-producing state. Nussle even includes the 
notion in his campaign slogan, saying he wants to "energize" Iowa.

The candidates are seizing an issue whose time has come.

If the nation shifts from fossil fuels (the residue of long-ago plant 
materials) to fuels derived from present-day plant materials, such as corn, 
soybeans and switchgrass, the entire economy could be transformed.

What oil did for Texas, biofuels could do for the Midwest, with Iowa at its 
heart.

The next governor will be in the right place and the right time to help make 
it happen — provided he doesn't get bogged down in merely subsidizing 
ethanol, as the Legislature has. The vision needs to stretch beyond 
corn-based ethanol, which is just the first, primitive phase in biofuels, 
not the ultimate destination.

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan made that point in 
congressional testimony last week. While he said it is vital for the nation 
to find alternatives to petroleum, he noted that the potential of corn-based 
ethanol to displace gasoline is "modest at best."

Ethanol currently displaces less than 2 percent of U.S. gasoline 
consumption, using about 12 percent of the corn crop, according to a recent 
Congressional Research Service report. If the entire corn crop were used to 
make ethanol, it would displace less than 15 percent of gasoline.

Devoting the entire corn crop to ethanol production would wreak havoc on the 
livestock industry and is unlikely to happen. According to some estimates, 
corn ethanol production is already approaching a threshold where it will 
disrupt livestock production.

That's why attention is switching to "cellulosic" ethanol, produced not from 
grain but from the fibrous material in plants, including stems, leaves and 
wood. It's estimated about 30 percent of gasoline consumption could be 
displaced if the nation fully developed the potential of cellulosic ethanol, 
made from everything from corn stover to switchgrass to wood chips.

That, however, can't happen until economic ways are found to break cellulose 
down into its component sugars, which in turn can be distilled into ethanol.

All of which suggests that Iowa's major initiative in biofuels needs to be 
in supporting research at the state universities. No matter what biofuel 
emerges as the successor to corn-based ethanol, be it cellulosic ethanol or 
some other technology, Iowa must position itself to be a leader, and it can 
do that only by being a leader in basic research.

An obvious place to start is for Iowa to become the location of one of the 
world's first "biorefineries." The U.S. Department of Energy is seeking 
proposals to build up to three such refineries. The next governor should 
insist that Iowa put up its share of the cost and go after one of them.

A biorefinery would work like an oil refinery. It would produce not only 
motor fuel but also a wide range of chemicals used to make everything from 
plastics to fabrics. The difference is that a biorefinery would use plant 
material (possibly the entire corn plant, not just the grain) as a 
feedstock, instead of petroleum.

Using Iowa's unmatched agricultural resources to produce not only food but 
an array of fuels and other useful products could reshape the state's 
economy. Add the energy potential of the abundant wind sweeping across 
Iowa's prairies, and the future looks unlimited.

The next governor will have a lot to do with whether the potential is 
realized.

Neila Seaman, MPA
Director
Sierra Club, Iowa Chapter
3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280
Des Moines, IA  50310
[log in to unmask]
515-277-8868

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