06/03/05 Biofuels conference, cellulose ethanol

The Biofuels conference in Boise yesterday dealt with various forms of energy like biomass, biodiesel and ethanol. But Assistant Secretary of Energy David Garman says ethanol created from straw or other farm waste has huge potential especially for states like Idaho. GARMAN "The Department of Agriculture predicts that we can produce a billion dry tons of cellulosic ethanol and still meet all of our food, fiber and export requirements and that billion tons could be converted into cellulose ethanol that could displace 30 percent of our petroleum needs for transportation." Senator Larry Craig, a trustee for the Center for the New West, the group that hosted yesterday's conference says there are steps that the government can and should take. CRAIG "That's why we'll do tax incentives and why we'll do loan guarantees and these kinds of things at the federal level participating with private industry to build these new venture facilities." A Canadian company has already developed the process to produce ethanol from wheat and barley straw. Idaho could be a big part of their future as you'll hear in our next report. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott