2007-D3 Beyond the Political Hype: An Assessment of the Risks and Potential of Biofuel Crops in Washington

Beyond the Political Hype: An Assessment of the Risks and Potential of Biofuel Crops in Washington
Kruger, Dillon

While the goal of developing alternative fuels from agricultural crops is laudable, the recent rush to biofuels has a number of dangerous risks. Farmers, researchers, investors, and consumers are excited at the potential, but these risks remain all but unaddressed.  Among these are GMOs, “food vs. fuel”, energy balance, cost to land conservation measures, diversion of federal and state money from other types of agricultural research and marketing, and the movement of large scale monocultures of soy, corn, and canola into new agricultural regions. Risks to organic producers from multiple forms of contamination will be discussed in this workshop, including contamination by invasive weeds, by disease and pests brought in by these crops, and by crop genetics. Considerations such as these have led many people to question whether there is a sustainable pathway for biofuel production. Chad Kruger, BioAg Educator from WSU CSANR, and Matthew Dillon of the Organic Seed Alliance will provide context to biofuel production issues in Washington State, identify many of the concerns and potential trade-offs, examine interesting models and opportunities for sustainable biofuel production, and suggest principles under which biofuel production can be sustainable.

 

Tags: Biofuel, Crops, GMOs

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