From Treehugger, news that Washington Senator Maria Cantwell
…will shortly introduce a bill entitled the “Biofuels Challenge Act” which would allocate billions for biodiesel research and development. Specifically, it would call for the United States production of biofuels to reach 20 billion gallons by the year 2020.
Cantwell’s Web site says the Β20/20 Biofuels Challenge ActΒ will invest in new sources of home-grown fuel that can help wean the American economy off its foreign oil addiction. A recent Department of Energy study estimated that America ‘s dependence on foreign oil will cost the economy more than $150 billion this year.
I know biofuels are actually a bit controversial, as it’s questionable whether they’ll be able to replace fossil fuels at a high enough level to justify this investment. At the same time, I have a hard time seeing significant negatives here, as a bill like Cantwell’s highlights our unsustainable addiction to mostly foreign oil. To continue the metaphor, are biofuels perhaps a type of methadone for our addiction?
Technorati tags: biofuels, politics
Pierre Chomat’s Oil Addiction: The World in Peril at Powells.com