Washington, D.C. — Increased use of ethanol and biodiesel could worsen global warming by forcing the worldwide conversion of forests and grasslands to crop production, according to two new studies.
The biofuels themselves produce less greenhouse gases than fossil fuels, but not nearly enough to offset the carbon dioxide that is released when land is cleared and plowed up to produce crops, the studies said. Carbon dioxide is one of the leading contributors to global warming.
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Senator raises concerns about biofuel mandates
Washington, D.C. — The chairman of the Senate Energy Committee said that the nation's new biofuel mandates may require more production than the country can handle over the next few years.
"While it appears likely that there will be enough ethanol and biodiesel production capacity to meet the requirement, it is not clear how all of this biofuel will find its way into the fuel tanks of our cars and trucks," said Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.
The new energy law enacted in December requires refiners to use 9 billion gallons of grain ethanol in 2008 and 15 billion gallons annually by 2015. There also are separate new mandates for usage of biodiesel and fuels made from nonfood sources, such as crop waste and trees.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080208/BUSINESS01/802080397/1029/archive
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IOWA VIEW:
Let's rethink 'buy it and toss it' society
Adam Hammes
Our future will be the result of our present. Our present is a result of our past. Only by understanding our past and making healthy and responsible choices in our present will we ever be able to look forward to our future.
With that philosophical framework in mind, consider a brief history of garbage - a cautionary tale of ever-growing mounds of stuff and changing attitudes about what to do with it.
Tribal cultures had midden sites, consisting of feces, shards of bone, rock, pottery, animal hides, shells, etc. Their waste was biodegradable. Most of it is now soil, minerals and nutrients.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080208/OPINION01/802080350/1035/archive
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LTE:
Make efficient electrical grid a priority
Wind-power generation has surpassed all other electricity sources in Spain, which has thousands of wind turbines.
This great nation of ours should outdo Spain by building an improved national electrical grid that more dependably and efficiently collects and distributes power. The grid should also accommodate the ingenious ways that individuals can profit by dumping and extracting electrical power to and from the grid in the most distant parts of the country.
The current grid is a jury-rigged mess. A new grid should be a national priority that matches the World War II effort to make America the arsenal of democracy and should be completed in three years.
Such an effort would give an immediate boost to our economy by providing construction opportunities that produce good jobs.
Also, it is very affordable - 100 miles of grid can be built for the amount of steel, production cost, labor and time needed for constructing one mile of interstate. It is time to free the power of American know-how and individual ingenuity.
- Sam Osborne,
West Branch.
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