From this morning's Des Moines Register - FYI.
Lyle


To learn more:

To read the letter to the president, go to the Energy Future Coalition Web
site, www.energyfuturecoalition.org

Editorials

For national security, cut use of foreign oil
Iowa would benefit from push for alternative fuels.
By REGISTER EDITORIAL BOARD

April 11, 2005

Unlikely allies are coalescing around the critical need to wean this country
from the clutches of foreign oil. Joining environmental groups: defense
hawks alarmed about the possibility of an oil crisis, evangelical Christians
heeding Biblical admonitions to be good stewards of the Earth, and farmers
and ranchers who can produce alternative fuels. The traction they're gaining
offers a sliver of hope that President Bush and Congress can end at least
part of their stalemate over energy policy. It also would benefit Iowa,
which is well positioned to produce replacement fuels. With gas averaging
$2.20 a gallon in Iowa, fuel prices have everyone's attention.

The latest push came from a letter sent to the president late last month by
a bipartisan group of former national-security officials. It states flatly:
"The United States' dependence on imported petroleum poses a risk to our
homeland security and economic well-being." Several factors fuel their
fears: The Middle East is a volatile region. Some of the billions of dollars
the United States pays annually for Mideast oil have been used to finance
terror. Growing economies worldwide, especially China, exacerbate tight
supplies and the risk of market disruptions.

The letter writers recommend developing alternatives to oil and dramatically
increasing fuel efficiency. That includes stepped-up production of hybrids
and other advanced-technology vehicles. Of specific interest to Iowa: They
also recommend rapid development of advanced biomass (any organic material
used as an energy source, such as animal waste), alcohol and other fuel
alternatives. An investment of less than $1 billion over the next five years
in the alternative-fuels industry could significantly reduce foreign-oil
consumption, they said.

Iowa is already the nation's top producer of ethanol made from corn.
Large-scale production of cellulosic ethanol, made from cornstalks, straw
and other fibrous plant material, would require less energy for cultivation
and allow co-production of electricity. Or biomass could be used to produce
methanol, wood alcohol. Congress can start by taking up a bill to require
doubling production and use of renewable fuels by 2012. Senate Bill 650 was
introduced last month by Sen. Richard Lugar, Indiana Republican. Iowa
Democrat Tom Harkin is a co-sponsor. If a congressional majority balks at a
renewable-fuel mandate, it should fashion tax credits or incentives instead.
Another tactic: Step up grants to install pumps that handle 85 percent
ethanol, known as E-85. Or pass House Resolution 626, supported by the
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which would offer tax credits of up to
thousands of dollars for consumers who buy advanced-technology vehicles. Any
number of approaches would work. The key is to keep focused on achieving
energy independence, to better prepare for an oil crisis that former defense
officials are convinced is coming.


___________________________________________________

Lyle R. Krewson
Sierra Club Conservation Organizer
6403 Aurora Avenue #3
Des Moines, IA 50322-2862

515/276-8947
515/238-7113 - cel

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