Why Focus on Biofuels?

Recent stories in Time magazine and the New York Times highlight the possible negative consequences of land-use conversions to produce biofuel feedstocks, especially corn for ethanol and palm oil for biodiesel. These reports and others have generated an understandable amount of concern among Vermonters, environmentalists, fuel suppliers and the research and agricultural community, as well as considerable debate between biofuels opponents and proponents.

For example, the Time article argues that increased corn production for ethanol is driving deforestation in the Amazon:

The 25 by '25 initiative—a national effort to replace 25% of current energy consumption with renewable sources by 2025—responded that the Time article has widespread inaccuracies. For example, the Time article says that: "This land rush [on the Amazon rainforest] is being accelerated by an unlikely source: biofuels. An explosion in demand for farm-grown fuels has raised global crop prices to record highs, which is spurring a dramatic expansion of Brazilian agriculture, which is invading the Amazon at an increasingly alarming rate." While 25 by '25 argues that "The implication that biofuel production is responsible for the destruction of the Amazon rainforest ignores the reality that ever increasing worldwide demand for food and fiber is the primary cause of land-use change." Click here to read the 25 by '25 Statement on Food and Fuel.

At VSJF, we are convinced that all biofuels are not created equal. We share the concern voiced by Time and other sources about the merits of corn-based ethanol and palm oil-based biodiesel. We do not believe that our chances of mitigating climate change are improved by deforestation and unsustainable land use changes, and we do not believe that conventional biofuels can produce anywhere near the volumes of liquid fuel necessary to address peak oil.

At the same time, we believe it is possible for biofuels to play a role in achieving the goals of the 25 by '25 initiative. VSJF believes that biofuels—including conventional biodiesel, methane digestion, cellulosic ethanol, algal biodiesel, grass pellets, and wood chips—are just one component of a larger suite of behavioral, technological, political, and economic transformations that will have to be made to prepare for, mitigate against, and adapt to peak oil and climate change, as well as to advance sustainable development in Vermont.

How Have VSJF Funds for Biofuels Been Used?

As concerns about energy security and dependence on foreign oil supplies, and the realities of oil depletion and climate change have become widespread, public officials, research laboratories, educational institutions, investors, and entrepreneurs have poured large sums of money into researching and developing biofuels as a replacement for some portion of our current use of oil.

From the start, VSJF has attempted to develop a market for biofuels that does justice to Vermont's small-scale and our sustainable development mission. In the same way that our sustainable agriculture and sustainable forestry grants and projects have pursued alternatives to the industrial agriculture and industrial forestry paradigms, VSJF believes that biofuels should be produced and used as close to the feedstock source as possible, and that local ownership of the production and distribution matters.

Under the umbrella of the Vermont Biofuels Initiative, our first set of pilot projects and the Vermont Biodiesel Project aimed to familiarize end users with biodiesel, which we considered to be the 'low hanging fruit' in 2003-2004.

Our next set of activities sought to expand both commercial-scale and small on-farm production of biodiesel in the state. The Feed and Fuel Project conducted oilseed crop market potential and economic feasibility studies in order to explore whether Vermont farmers could sustainably, economically, and competitively produce some portion of Vermont’s liquid fuel and livestock feed demand.

A general rule of thumb used to be that farmers devoted upwards of 30% of their acreage to feed their work horses. The Feed and Fuel Project calculated that it is technically feasible to utilize 180,000 acres (90,000 acres on a rotational basis) for oilseed crops. This represents 31% of Vermont's cropland—the same amount it used to take to feed horses—to grow oilseed crops to meet the total on-farm demand for diesel fuel (nearly 7 million gallons), and as much as 50% of anticipated livestock meal demand. In the case of conventional biodiesel, then, VSJF believes it can provide opportunities for Vermont farmers to develop new value-added revenue sources, reduce on-farm expenditures and greenhouse gas emissions, ensure their energy security, and circulate money locally.

Conventional biofuels (e.g., corn-based ethanol and soybean-based biodiesel) currently dominate the market, but better, more sustainable biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol and algal biodiesel are inching toward commercialization. VSJF believes there are numerous opportunities for entrepreneurs and farmers to take advantage of that will lead to greater economic and fuel security, farm viability and new job creation. Our next set of activities are expanding to look at the larger biomass to biofuels suite. For instance, in the case of algal biodiesel, all of the State’s diesel demand (over 200 million gallons) could theoretically be replaced by in-state production.

Sustainable Development Opportunities

A number of entrepreneurs and farmers are pursuing the development of a biofuels industry in Vermont.

Fossil Fuel Dependency/Energy Security

Although Vermont uses the least energy of any State in America, it is entirely dependent on out-of-state sources for oil, and oil accounts for more than half of all the energy used in the state.

Peak Oil

Peak oil is the point in time in which half of the oil that exists has been removed from the earth.  Peak oil is not the end of oil, but rather the end of 'cheap' and easy to reach oil. Peak oil has implications for how we live, where we live, what we can do and where we can go.

Climate Change

Vermont emits the smallest amount of greenhouse gases of any State in America. However, climate change is already changing Vermont's ecology and such hallmarks as the maple industry.

 

 

Photo Credits: Canola Field (left), Netaka White; Seed press with sunflower seeds (middle), Ed Delhagen; Biodiesel flask (right), Netaka White.

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