Brasher: Algae as a fuel could skew corn's role

Des Moines Register
PHILIP BRASHER • pbrasher@dmreg.com • November 8, 2009

Washington, D.C. — The corncob could be losing its special place in the nation's energy future.

The 2007 energy bill required that refiners start using biofuels made from cobs, wheat straw, grasses and other sources of plant cellulose by 2010, with the mandate growing annually to reach 16 billion gallons by 2022.

But now there is an effort in Congress to expand that mandate to include fuels made from algae and microorganisms. A climate bill the Senate is considering would replace the requirement for use of cellulosic biofuels with a broader mandate for "advanced green biofuels."

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