Biodiesel give and take
Interesting article at
Wired Magazine regarding the growing popularity of Biodiesel and some of the issues surrounding its production:
bq.
Backroom Tussling Over Biodiesel
Farmers in the heartland are trying to cash in on America's growing infatuation with biodiesel, the replacement for petroleum diesel that can be made from vegetable and animal oils and fats.
bq. The farmers, soybean growers from Midwestern states, are enlisting the help of environmentalists and celebrities, to give them the hip, eco-friendly image they need to reach young adults and baby boomers.
bq. The relationship between soybean growers and environmentalists is proving a rocky one, however.
bq. Many environmentalists have been making biodiesel in their backyards, basements and bathtubs for years, and promoting the fuel at a grass-roots level.
bq. But the backyarders, as they are known,
are also among the leading critics of the soybean growers' practices, particularly their use of GMO crops and herbicides.
Emphasis mine... You want the cheap soybean oil but you want it non-GM. Pick one and stick with it -- both is not an option. It is not as though the franken-soy is going to change the characteristics of the fuel you make and for those backyarders who are scrounging from restaurants, etc., you are probably using GM oil already.
More from the article:
bq. One worry backyarders and environmentalists have is that a biodiesel market dominated by soybean growers will promote the use of Monsanto's Roundup Ready soybean seeds, which have been genetically altered to resist the company's herbicide, Roundup.
bq. Soybean farmers need to "give some serious thought" to their use of GMO seeds, said Hannah, who attended the NBB meeting. "I can understand the huge temptation to move toward GMOs, but we lack a complete understanding of the effects of GMOs and fertilizers."
Hey Hannah -- you might not have a complete understanding of what's going on in the fields but I bet that Monsanto sure does; that and the farmer certainly notices the improved crop yield/acre...
Try looking at the big picture. It will also be interesting if these small biofuel co-ops have to start charging highway taxes -- there are state and federal taxes put on each gallon of regular petroleum fuel sold. These people are skirting under the radar now but the bigger they become, the higher their profile.
Posted by DaveH at February 2, 2005 5:17 PM