Corn ethanol is not an efficient source of biofuel and diverts food to fuel, admits U.S. Rep. Tim Walz. But, he said, those who want to kill the industry would be preventing the next wave of cellulosic-based fuels.
Walz said scientific studies agree that corn ethanol “is not real efficient,” but he told a forum that the infrastructure and technology they use will bring the next stage of using plant material to make fuels. And, he said, many corn ethanol plants are adding efficiencies.
The Democrat from Mankato said that cellulosic technology shouldn’t include giant refineries such as corn ethanol plants but instead include more small operations.
Creating a new clean energy economy was the topic of the forum Friday at Minnesota State University.
Walz and other panelists, including former congressman Tim Penny, said the financial crisis and the stimulus package offer an unprecedented opportunity to change the course of the nation’s economy. “We have to get it right,” Walz said.
Dan Juhl, a wind energy business owner, said it’s vital to keep the new energy dollars local. Because of current tax credit laws, some 80 percent of the tax credits aimed at promoting wind farms goes to overseas conglomerates.
“We can keep our energy dollars in our communities and create jobs,” Juhl said.
Walz, who represents the 1st District, said Congress is working on rewriting the tax credit to get it to local wind cooperatives and businesses.
J. Drake Hamilton, of the group Fresh Energy, said the stimulus package can do what few imagined. “We got a big, huge kick-start from the economic recovery bill.”
She said the current 9 million clean energy jobs could become 37 million jobs by 2030. Those jobs, she said, will include everyone from welders and electricians to accountants and scientists.
To get there, she said, government needs to set a clear policy that requires a low carbon economy and then let private business go to work developing the technologies and jobs.
Walz said that while significant amounts of stimulus money will go to creating jobs quickly, the country needs to take some time to plan on what kinds of transportation and energy systems make the most sense for the future.
“It doesn’t do us any good to put another lane on 35W because you will just have another lane of traffic sitting in congestion.” Instead, he said, there are new “smart road” technologies such as LED lights used for traffic lane stripes that turn from green to red, allowing more lanes in one direction during morning and evening rush hours.
About 150 people attended the forum, which was sponsored by Environment Minnesota, along with Audubon Minnesota, Fresh Energy, the Minnesota Conservation Federation, National Wildlife Foundation, the Sierra Club and MSU. Similar forums are planned around the state.
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