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The future is bright for ethanol and other biofuels
Let me begin my defense of biofuels grown on the farm by noting that I have spent half a century promoting nuclear energy while simultaneously explaining our nation will not run out of petroleum-based energy to run our automobiles for at least two centuries.
Concurrently, I have attempted to show that solar and wind energy can never fill more than a tiny niche of our energy requirements. Solar and wind power require us to sacrifice hundreds of square miles of land to equal each conventional power plant. The land and hardware are extraordinarily expensive and an eyesore, to say the least. Biofuels, including ethanol and biodiesel, are the new darlings of the renewable energy movement. This is a movement one should be skeptical of because some of its supporters and promoters are insincere in their views regarding renewable energy but are very dedicated to slowing progress, defeating markets, reducing individual freedom and subtly foisting an expanding program of collectivism on our society. In sum, my record is that of a scientist who is not likely to support any new renewable energy scheme.
However, I recognize one additional resource that will play a major role in the development of biofuel. That resource is the human brain, which in all of its resourcefulness has changed the entire agricultural landscape through the advent of biotechnology.
Abundant energy sources
Let us first put the energy issue into proper perspective. The United States could easily become energy independent if we chose to exploit the Arctic, the Gulf of Mexico, offshore coastlines and our vast oil shale reserves, which at current oil prices could one day (perhaps in our lifetime) dwarf the supplies of Saudi Arabia and all of OPEC. But at the moment, none of these approaches is going to happen any time soon.
In the meantime, two positive things...