Report shows biofuels can power state

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A new report, Cellulose Prairie: Biomass Fuel Potential in Wisconsin and the Midwest, shows that excess biomass could be burned to displace half our coal use or converted to ethanol reducing our gasoline needs by 40 percent.
The report, released at the Future of Farming statewide conference Monday, was written by Better Environmental Solutions and funded by the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition.
“Excess biomass like switchgrass, corn stover, wood waste and manure are the convenient solutions to the ‘Inconvenient Truth’ of global warming,” said Brett Hulsey, president Better Environmental Solutions, report author.
Wisconsin alone has almost 15 million tons of potential excess biomass, which could produce 1.3 billion gallons of ethanol per year and displace 40 percent of the gasoline we consumed last year, in addition to Wisconsin’s 252 million gallons of current corn ethanol production. This excess biomass could be burned to replace 15 million tons of coal, equivalent to 56 percent of Wisconsin’s total coal use. Notably, these biomass materials are excess or surplus and can be harvested sustainably to maintain forest and soil health.
“With investments, Wisconsin can be a cellulose prairie and forest for bioenergy like Silicon Valley is for high technology,” said Hulsey. “We are well positioned because Wisconsin leads the nation now in converting wood to electricity. This is just one step away from cleaner biofuels like cellulosic ethanol.”
Gov. Jim Doyle has made promoting the bioeconomy a major part of his energy-independence agenda with budget proposals of $30 million for bioproject loans and grants, $5 million for cellulosic research, $4 million for venture capital, and $1 million for new E-85 and biodiesel pumps. These are important steps, but Hulsey’s report calls for additional federal actions to realize the full potential of biomass:

• Fund 10 pilot cellulosic plant projects to develop and refine technologies for full-scale application
• Expand grant and loan programs to promote cellulosic ethanol and advanced biopower projects
• Enact policies to promote 25 percent biofuels use by 2025
• Create an energy reserve program of 10 million to 20 million acres to help farmers and landowners produce more biomass such as switchgrass, wood fuel and other biopower feedstocks
• Develop a $100 million biofuel venture capital fund to spur new business startups