Cellulosic Ethanol IF There is Corn-Based Ethanol

I am heartened by the strong support among many government and business sectors for cellulosic ethanol.  However, I am often disheartened by those who believe that corn-based ethanol must fade away.  Apparently, President Obama shares my conflict.

In his letter to the Governors' Biofuels Coalition (pdf), the President restated his support, writing that "biofuels are the primary near-term option for insulating consumers against future oil price shocks and for lowering the transportation sector's carbon footprint...using more biofuels today means an immediate reduction in oil imports in addition to an immediate increase in domestic employment."  He also clarified that his Administration is "moving as quickly as possible to commercialize an array of emerging cellulosic technologies so that tomorrow's biofuels will be produced from sustainable biomass feedstocks..."  

The President understands that the corn-based ethanol industry is the industry that will make cellulosic ethanol a reality.  Calling the ethanol industry "under appreciated," he said it is moving toward the utilization of a wide variety of non-grain feedstocks for biofuels.  He wrote, "the transition to cellulosic technologies will be successful only if the first-generation biofuels industry remains viable... and if we remove long-standing artificial barriers to market expansion necessary for large volumes of advanced renewable fuels to find a place in America's transportation fuels system." (emphasis added).

POET is proud to follow the Obama Administration's lead to move "as quickly as possible" to commercialize cellulosic ethanol while ensuring a strong corn-based ethanol industry. We will continue to create new jobs, improve the environment, and reduce dependence on foreign oil.