Bush biofuel initiative may be unrealistic, producers say

By John Gregerson on 5/21/2007 for Meatingplace.com

Leading producers of ethanol and biodiesel said Friday their industries are facing serious barriers to meeting the 2017 growth targets outlined last week by President Bush, Dow Jones reported.

The Bush plan includes a goal to produce 35 billion gallons of renewable and alternative fuel by 2017, many times above current levels.

“The current solutions won’t get you there,” Jeff Trucksess, executive vice president of Green Earth Fuels LLC, a biodiesel developer, told an industry gathering in Houston Friday morning.

“Our basic problem is there isn’t enough feedstock,” said Bill Spence, president of Standard Renewable Energy, which owns a stake in a Galveston, Texas, biodiesel facility.

“I’ve yet to meet anyone who thinks more than half [of the 35 billion gallons] could be from ethanol and biodiesel,” said Pearce Hammond, an analyst at Simmons & Co. International. He said other potential solutions include coal-to-liquids technology or the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel.