Washblog

What Mr. James refers to in the quote above is our need to develop cellulosic feedstocks for ethanol production -- in both his region of the country and in ours.  His statement captures very well, I think, the political importance of this question - how can we ensure that we turn to sustainable sources and methods for our alternative fuels  -  how are we going to get the political clout to do this right?

"Feedstocks" means the stuff we get our fuel from. "cellulosic" means, basically, woody stuff.   Forest trimmings, wheat waste, etc.  Here's an amazing resource, the Washington State Biomass Inventory of the Pacific Regional Biomass Energy Partnership, that shows with great specificity, what kinds of biomass--and how  much - we have in Washington.  Beautiful!

Many people think of corn when ethanol is mentioned.  I always have.  But we don't grow corn so well here in Washington (or as we see, where Mr. James lives, either).   And, although fuel from corn does provide more energy output than it takes to produce (contrary to public misconception based on a single flawed study co-authored by a petroleum industry advocate), it is a relatively resource-and-energy-expensive way to produce fuel.  

Here and now in Washington, biodiesel production is happening at a faster pace than ethanol production.  But, although both types of fuels will grow in importance,  we're likely to see a reversal of sorts -- ethanol is likely to become a bigger industry than biodiesel as we develop local sources to create it.  Feedstock questions --questions of what kind of stuff we make the fuels from -- are critical for both ethanol and biodiesel.   Peter Moulton, who plans to join tonight's conversation, directs  Harvesting Clean Energy.  Here's a quote from that page:

Today's starch-based ethanol industry (N.M.: corn, etc.) is a transition phase to a much larger industry based on cellulose, the stuff of which most of the plant world is made. The future industry will be fed by cellulosic materials including agricultural, forest and mill residue, urban wood and yard waste and fast-growing energy crops

There are many questions we must answer to get this right.   The investments and policy decisions that are creating our new energy industries -- both for electrical power and fuel -- are being made very fast.   What we do now will determine our state's - and our country's - direction for many years to come.   Something that strikes me very strongly is the connection between sustainable food farming and sustainable energy farming.  The destinies of these two industries are linked.    Consider this description from WSU's Triple Bio program.  (The emphasis is mine):

Washington's agricultural and natural resource industries face increasing pressure from rising energy and input prices, increasing global competition, global climate change, heightened demand for environmental responsibility, and declining rural income relative to urban populations. In this difficult context, our farmers are being called upon to produce energy in addition to food and fiber, while also providing environmental services such as clean air and water and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Triple BIO is a comprehensive program to address all of these competing interests without compromising the primary goal of improved agricultural sustainability in Washington State. Triple BIOTM is the integration of new and existing efforts at WSU ... targeted at improving the resiliency and sustainability of Washington's farms and rural communities by providing targeted research, education, extension/technology transfer, and technology demonstration in the areas of biologically intensive agriculture and organic farming, bioenergy, and bioproducts.

At the core, what I am arguing here is that food and energy - the gifts from the sun that run our bodies and machines - also run our economy and our lives.  Everything we care about is connected to how we produce and distribute this stored energy.   Environmental health, economic justice and security, national security, community livability, wilderness protection, peace.

This is an exciting story, politically.  The alternative fuels industry itself is becoming increasingly powerful - a trend that will continue - and that will express itself in ways we can predict --- and in ways that will surprise us.   The political clout of the agricultural sector will also be shifting.  We might hope that it shifts so that the economy, people and communities of rural Washington are no longer left behind as they are now, many of them victims of a global marketplace that siphons off local economic and environmental wealth.   The work - and the battles - that will define our new food and energy landscape will be a Big Story, one of the most dramatic of our time.  We're inside a new gold rush..

A person from a peace listserv where I advertised tonight's conversation summed up his understanding of what we're dealinig with in this way:  "saving the earth will be the next revolution."  He's right!  This is what is at stake.

--------------------------

Tonight's conversation, based on an essay by Greg Rock of Green Car Company is in a series sponsored by the Back to the Roots program of Institute for Washington's Future.  A central goal of this program is to help focus civic attention on the question: how do we strengthen our commons?  Building more democratic food and energy industries -- which allow more opportunities and profits for local families and communities-- is an important element of this answer. Please do visit that page, sign up for our announcement list, reserve tickets to an upcoming appearance by Jim Hightower.