Sobering update on biofuels

Des Moines Register
6:17 AM, Dec 1, 2011 by Dan Piller

Much of the advanced biofuels industry, those working to advance biofuels beyond corn-fed ethanol and soybean-based biodiesel, are meeting this week in San Francisco and the mood appears to be anything but joyous.

An assessment of biofuels’ current situation by analyst MacKinnon Lawrence at Pike Research, distributed by Reuters, describes the angst as biofuels researchers and producers ponder the threats to their still developing industry.

MacKinnon notes that advanced biofuels still fall short of commercial parity with conventional fossil fuels and natural gas, at a time when production of those fuels is suddenly on the upswing in the U.S.

At the same time the vital government support for biofuels, which includes tax credits and use mandates, is under threat by a congress looking for ways to pare the federal budget deficit.

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