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I think one can expect to see the plot thicken as people climb on the biofuel bandwagon. It is highly likely that corporate agribiz will decide that it is their patriotic duty to produce biofuel on western lands that require massive irrigation. The US is already on the brink of a variety on environmental crises related to its various irrigation systems. They've done an outstanding job of persuading the public to ignore those and keep filling up their swimming pools. Food for the SUV will be one more good reason to go on ignoring it.
by Richard Lyon (rllyon@gmail.com) on Mon Aug 21st, 2006 at 12:18:49 PM EST
I actually see a great deal of promise in cane and wood biofuels , and I doubt seriously that much of this development will be occurring in the arid or semiarid western US.

We have an enormous amount of idle cropland in the US east of or just west of the Mississippi River that could be brought on line.

Also state-of-the art cane mills are highly efficient in the distilltaion process, as are wood fired electrical generation plants.

For Eurasia, the trees grown for this use in the US could be grown roughly central Finland to N. of Vladivostok, and from the Caucasus to the Pacific in the South, in areas with suffiecient rainfall to support trees.

Call me Pollyanna if you wish, but I don't think of myself as a Pollyanna type of guy. The problem is, in my opinion, manageable long term.

FWIW, I've seen a lot of mopeds and motorcycles in Viginia with gasoline at $2.50-3.00 a gallon(non-Imperial).

"When the abyss stares at me, it wets its pants." Brian Hopkins

by EricC on Mon Aug 21st, 2006 at 04:38:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
We have an enormous amount of idle cropland in the US east of or just west of the Mississippi River

Do you have details, or a reference?

What do you propose growing on this land?

Could you explain what you mean by "the trees grown for this use in the US"?

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Aug 22nd, 2006 at 03:58:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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