Then and Now: 120 Bioeconomy Pioneers look at yesterday, today, inspirations and challenges

Doug Durante

Then: As the Director of the Clean Fuels Development Coalition (CFDC), I was crazy busy during that period which might well be remembered as the turning point of the modern ethanol industry. Everyone was still euphoric over the passage of the RFS. We were already in discussions with Congress about expanding the program since we had met and exceeded the statutory targets for ethanol. We were working with USDA and DOE under our Ethanol Across America Education program cranking out Issue Briefs and White papers and about that time we produced the Fifth semi annual Ethanol Fact Book. We had the Ethanol Minute Radio program and spent much of our time addressing some of the basic issues like food versus fuel, net energy balance, and emissions and performance issues. That was an unusual period of time in Congress as there was great deal more cooperation and willingness to work together. Oil prices were high and climbing so everyone was interested in biofuels and the success of the RFS.

Now: Wow– who would have ever thought in the 1990s or even 10 years ago we would be at the production levels we are now. Who would have thought we would be making so much ethanol we would have nowhere to put it. Today we are working to develop new demand and move beyond reliance on government programs. Seizing on ethanol’s octane, low carbon, ability to reduce a wide range of emissions, and economic benefits means we must have access to the fuels market. That access is blocked by bad science resulting in faulty models that grossly undervalue ethanol and all biofuels. We are working with partner groups like the Urban Air Initiaitve to break down those barriers at EPA through sound technical and legal arguments. We continue to work with automakers to get them to take advantage of ethanol’s superior properties. Unfortunately we still have to address the myths of biofuels such as food prices, land use, performance, efficiency, and everything else the petroleum industry can throw at us.

Inspirations: I have spent 35 years in this space and believe to my core that ethanol and all biofuels are better in every way to petroleum products. That said, realistically we will not replace petroleum but we can augment it and make it better. I love the vision of some of our early pioneers like the late Bill Holmberg who believed we could, in a single facility, produce a wide range of products. I remember the first time I was at a bioproducts demonstration at USDA and learning about all the products that could be made through biotechnologies– everything from plastics to paint remover. That is exciting and since most of that development would be within our borders the benefits of energy, environment, and the economy are enormous.

Challenges:  Lack of committment. We say all the right things about energy diversity and establish programs like an RFS but almost immediately they come under attack. An advanced technology that can produce a fuel for $3 looks brilliant when gasoline is $4 but as soon as that reverses we bail. Congress provides tax breaks and then fails to enact them or repeals them outright. We create loan and other programs only to pull them in mid course. We provide incentives to automakers to turn out FFVs only to phase out the incentives when they did not cost consumers or taxpayers a penny. I could go on but the fact that we let cheap gasoline sweep all the negatives of a petroleum economy under the rug is discouraging. We pay in so many other ways. All we can do is keep moving forward, the cellulosic and advanced technologies need to put some runs on the board and keep hope alive.