Biofuels Blowback

Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth against biofuels? Yes. Some biofuels may be environmentally unsustainable. The mad rush to biofuels is an excellent example of ready – fire – aim problem solving egged on by perverse government incentives. I say perverse because these incentives encourage clear cutting of forests and grasslands as well as greater production of corn, to the detriment of other crops. It has driven up the price of corn, which is having a ripple effect on the economy. Ask a grocery shopper here or in Mexico about the cost of meat, dairy and poultry products. You won’t get a happy answer.

I am for energy independence; but biofuels won’t get us there. We don’t have near enough land to support the needed biomass. Right now, the best thing government can do is stop incentivizing actions with unknown or unpredictable consequences. If oil prices keep rising, the market will answer with alternatives that work.

… Oh, heck, if our government is just fidgeting to do something, it can build more nuclear power plants. That would be some government intervention I could support.