Obama Advances Biofuels as U.S. Misses Production Targets

WASHINGTON, DC,- President Barack Obama has moved to increase America's renewable fuels production, turn biomass into bioenergy, and capture and store the greenhouse gases produced by coal-burning power plants.

At the same time, the administration released the first report of the Biofuels Interagency Working Group showing that the country is falling short of biofuel production targets mandated by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

At a meeting with a bipartisan group of governors at the White House Wednesday, the President said these three measures will work in tandem to boost biofuels production, reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, foster new industries and create millions of jobs.

Advanced biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol can be made from corn stalks remaining after the edible crop is harvested. (Photo by Warren Gretz courtesy NREL)

President Obama said the country will benefit from taking these steps now without waiting for Congress to pass a clean energy and climate bill. The House of Representatives passed its bill, the Waxman-Markey bill, last June, but a companion bill is still pending in the Senate.

"Now, I happen to believe that we should pass a comprehensive energy and climate bill," Obama told the governors. "It will make clean energy the profitable kind of energy, and the decision by other nations to do this is already giving their businesses a leg up on developing clean energy jobs and technologies."

"But even if you disagree on the threat posed by climate change, investing in clean energy jobs and businesses is still the right thing to do for our economy," Obama said. "Reducing our dependence on foreign oil is still the right thing to do for our security. We can't afford to spin our wheels while the rest of the world speeds ahead."

"I want to be clear that my administration is following a non-ideological approach to this issue," said Obama. "We believe in a strategy of more production, more efficiency, and more incentives for clean energy. We're willing to make some tough decisions on issues like offshore drilling, so long as we protect coastlines and communities. We are moving forward on a new generation of nuclear power plants, although we want to make sure that they are safe and secure."

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source: ecofactory