Peterson Skeptical of Cellulosic Ethanol
The ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee has doubts about whether cellulosic ethanol will ever be commercially viable.
“I just don’t think that cellulosic will ever be commercialized,” Congressman Collin Peterson said during an interview with Domestic Fuel reporter Chuck Zimmerman after he talked to members of the American Seed Trade Association meeting in Washington Wednesday. “And it’s become a problem. I mean, the Solyndra thing … it’s become politicized.”
Peterson said he believes algae has some potential, but with too many alternative energy plans, the economics don’t work without government support. And he points out that the government is broke.
Peterson said the House Ag Committee will be marking up the Farm Bill the week after the 4th of July. It will be interesting to see which renewable energy measures he supports in the Senate’s bill and which ones survive the process.
Listen to Chuck’s conversation with Peterson here:
Rep. Collin Peterson interview
4 Comments
Martin Tjossem
I’m glad he realizes we’re broke. Hopefully he sees we have to cut the money off that we’re spending running the aircraft carriers and fighter jets around in the Middle East protecting the oil fields also.
Carl Lehrburger
Yes, Peterson points out the government is broke without mentioning $72 billion/year in fossil fuel subsidies. As Martin points out, this doesn’t include spending on protecting foreign oil sources. Government subsidies of corn-based ethanol resulted in an industry that now competes with fossil fuels and without subsidies. Representative Peterson could do a service to agricultural stakeholders by offering a pathway to cellulosics inclusive of the resources to achieve competitive commercial economics instead of casting doubts on renewables while maintaining the giant subsidies for fossil fuels and big oil.
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